Dancing on the Edge of Forever
by Matthew White
Summary: Set at the ending of the episode, Fit for Duty. AU from there. See A/N at the beginning.
1. Chapter 1 Fear and Confusion:

**Dancing on the Edge of Forever**

**A JAG Short Story**

Written by Matthew R. White

© January 3, 2014

Based on the Characters and series created by Donald P. Bellisario

...

**Historian's Note: **This story takes place immediately after the episode _Fit for Duty_ written by Darcy Meyers and finishes at the end of the series. This story is an alternate ending to the series and starts to go AU during the episode _JAG: San Diego_ written by Don McGill & Larry Moskowitz.

**Author's Note:** This story idea came to me while working on my _Distant Shores_ trilogy which I am working concurrently. Like Harm and Mac, the writers in season 10 were not even on the same sheet of music when it came to the H/M relationship, especially after the events depicted in _The Four Percent Solution._ This story is how I would have finished the series. I stick to canon until the end of the episode _Fit for Duty_ and diverge into AU from there. This universe includes the events depicted in my stories _Turning Points,_ and _Never My Love._ This is my first AU story for JAG, and as much as I would like to have thrown season 9 out the window, I feel some of the events were necessary to bring Mattie into the storyline. The addition of Mattie's character was a brilliant move on the part of the writers. It allowed them to contrast the actions, and personalities of both Webb and Rabb in the eyes of Mac. Webb, as the secretive, occasionally available, married to the job CIA agent, vs. Harm, the dedicated Navy officer, lawyer, loyal friend, and new family man. When she stands up for Harm in custody battle for Mattie, (her finest moment in the series) it is clear that her heart has already made its choice despite her actions later. In the episode, _The Four Percent Solution_, Mac stated, "having responsibility for Mattie has caused Harm to grow, in ways I'm proud of," and I believe her assessment is spot on. As I've stated before, the writers had the perfect opportunity to bring the H/M storyline to a fulfilling conclusion and they blew it in favor of writing for a possible spin-off.

...

**Chapter 1; Fear and Confusion:**

**20:30Z**

**JAG HQ**

_"Why do you always chose to be alone?"_

As the words of Commander McCool echoed in her head, Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie quickly exited the elevator, anxious to put some distance between her and her best friend, Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. Struggling to keep her emotions in check, she swiftly made her way out to the parking lot and jumped into her waiting cherry red Corvette. While she waited for the engine to warm, she watched Harm escort Dr. Elgin to her vehicle.

Dr. Inez Elgin was a former Navy Psychiatrist who was close friends with Lt. Commander Jordan Parker, Harm's former girlfriend. Rabb had met her at Jordan's funeral some years ago and they had formed a friendship based on their shared grief over Jordan's death.

Mac had arrived at the elevator in time to hear Inez telling Harm where she wanted to go to dinner and when Harm invited her to join them, the look on Inez's face clearly stated that three would be considered a crowd and Mac promptly declined. On the way down, Harm had asked once again if she was interested in joining them. Very briefly, she reconsidered, that is until she saw the unmistakable look cast her way by her rival. _I'm not going to compete with another woman for his affection;_ she thought and politely declined, saying, "Three's a crowd." Mac knew that Harm could be a somewhat oblivious when it came to his affect on the opposite sex and she knew him well enough to know he considered Dr. Elgin's invite as just dinner with a friend. She hoped her veiled message would warn him that Inez had other ideas. _Watch your six, flyboy!_

She watched as the two vehicles left the parking lot on their way to the restaurant, wondering if she had made the right decision. _What if he is interested?_ Mac thought to herself, fighting down another wave of emotions consisting of fear, regret, sadness, abandonment, and a twinge of jealousy. _Get a grip, MacKenzie; it's your own fault. He's ready to commit and you keep dragging your feet._ Frustrated with herself, she slammed the stick into reverse and whipped out of her parking spot almost sliding into the cars behind her. Properly chastised by the slippery conditions, she proceeded out of the parking lot at a more reasonable pace.

On the way home, Mac considered everything that had happened between her and Harm since she had parted ways with Clayton Webb. True to his promise at the Admiral's Dining Out, Harm had conducted some research about endometriosis and the possible methods of them being able to conceive a child together. Although she was touched by his willingness to fulfill the deal they had made, she was too overwhelmed by everything that had occurred. _"Let me come to you,"_ she had told him. Ever the gentleman, Harm gave her space which wasn't really what she wanted either, but she didn't make her wishes known to him.

In October, Harm was approached by Professor Alicia Montez to investigate and possibly reopen a twenty two year old murder case based on new DNA evidence. Montez was attractive, mature and quite brilliant, and Mac suddenly found herself concerned that Harm would get tired of waiting and move on. To add insult to injury, Mac was tasked with defending a Chief Warrant Officer accused of bigamy, and was finding it difficult to maintain her objectivity. With all that was going on in her life, she developed a case of severe insomnia. Unable to sleep for three nights in a row, she found herself at Harm's apartment, only to find him making dinner for Alicia Montez. Stung by the turn of events, she gracefully apologized for interrupting and told him she would call later, a call she would never make. The following day, she visited Dr. Purcell, her gynecologist, to have a follow up for the procedure she had done in May. It was then that she received more heartbreaking news. Her chances of conceiving a child was worse than she was originally told; less than five percent.

Unable to deal with the insomnia, Mac found herself in the office of Lt. Commander Victoria McCool; the psychiatrist she had seen after her run in with Sadik Fahd. She had hoped to get a script for a sleep aid, but McCool knew there were deeper rooted issues causing Mac's insomnia. Despite Mac's resistance, McCool had managed to get to the root of her problems. The session was difficult and just as Mac stood to walk out, McCool asked her a life changing question.

_"Why do you always chose to be alone?"_

Inside Sarah MacKenzie, the bottled up dam of emotions had burst open and she began to weep.

_"What were you feeling just now?" _asked Vicky.

_"More than I intended,"_ Sarah replied.

_"That, Colonel, is grief."_

It had taken almost an hour to get to that point. It was then, Sarah opened up about what had happened with Harm. McCool managed to convince her that she just might be misreading what she saw and not to give up on a future with him. That night, after another bout of grief, Sarah was able to sleep and she decided to schedule some more time with Vicky. As much as she hated to admit it, the session had helped her immensely and Sarah began to realize she was carrying far more baggage than she could handle alone and the only way she would ever be able to have a meaningful relationship with anyone, was to face these demons and move beyond them.

Over the next couple of months, Mac and Harm had managed to find some of the camaraderie they had once enjoyed. He didn't mention Professor Montez again and Mac wondered if maybe she did overreact. When she learned that Colonel Gordon Cresswell was being considered as the new JAG Mac confided her fears to Harm. Cresswell knew about her involvement with John Farrow back in Okinawa and she was concerned he would hold it against her. To her relief, Cresswell cleared the air stating that she had been the junior officer and he did not hold her responsible.

After her automobile accident on Christmas Eve, Mac and Harm had taken steps to rebuild their relationship to a level of closeness they had not enjoyed since aftermath of the incident they both referred to as Paraguay. Harm had spent the Christmas weekend with her and she found out that her fears about Alicia were unfounded. That night when she had stopped by, Harm was helping her finish her notes on the Wainwright case. She had planned to use it as a teaching case next semester.

After the kiss they had shared on the dance floor at the New Year's Eve Ball, Mac had been sure they were, at the very least, on the same sheet of music, even if not quite on the same measure but a busy schedule at JAG would keep them from spending a lot of time together.

When the holiday's had ended, Harm had to go TAD to China Lake to investigate a crash of an experimental F-14 and while he was away, Mac had been tasked to handle the backlog of cases. The following week, they both drew a welcome TAD to Florida, but with Petty Officer Coates accompanying them; they needed to keep a discrete distance. The fact that they were on opposite sides of the same case only complicated matters. As a result, they didn't spend any personal time together, save one evening before they returned to JAG.

The day after they returned, Mac caught a chill and came down with a bad case of the flu; she spent the next week and a half in bed barely able to move, much less take care of herself. Unwilling to leave her unattended, Harm spent most of that time nursing her back to health. Harm had enlisted the help of Mac's next door neighbor to check on her while he was at work and had managed to get away from the office early on a few occasions. (Harm had joked with her about the General being a big softie at heart.) Despite being pampered, Mac had been too sick to really enjoy his company, but her heart had been warmed beyond words by his concern for her well being. While she was convalescing, they had made plans to go out for Valentine's Day, a first for both of them.

A few days after returning to duty, Harm and Mac were sent back to Afghanistan to represent a rogue Marine Colonel accused of murdering civilians. The trip through the countryside had brought back memories of a happier time between them and Mac had found herself wishing they did not have a guide who was an unknowing chaperone.

As Mac pulled into her driveway, she considered the events of the past week. The case had been stressful on her, in more ways than one. After a JAG-MAN investigation, Commander Lucy Maron had been charged with dereliction of duty for sending a Marine back into combat before he was fit, an action which resulted in his death. Having worked so hard to succeed herself, Mac always took a hard line when a woman fell short of the mark. The fact that Commander Maron was a shrink only added fuel to the fire, despite the fact that Mac was still seeing Commander McCool. Making matters worse, Harm had taken Maron's side in the investigation and was subsequently assigned to defend her.

Mac pushed her thoughts aside while she checked her mail and made her way to her apartment. Once inside, she hung her coat and padded into the bedroom to get comfortable. Dressed in sweats, with her hair let down, she made her way to the kitchen to put on water for tea. She was somewhat hungry, but she decided to wait a while before making dinner. _Maybe I'll drive out and grab a Beltway Burger,_ she thought to herself. _I really wanted to have dinner with Harm._ Once again, she wondered if she had acted in haste by refusing his invitation.

She knew that the trial had been stressful on him as well and she had hoped to put it behind them before they went out tomorrow evening. Some years ago, they had made a pact to clear the air after the verdict in the event they found themselves on opposite sides of a trial. As with all his clients, Harm had zealously defended Commander Maron and Mac would expect no less of him, but the subject had been a little too close to home for her. That, along with thought of him romancing, or being lured into romance by another woman weighed heavily on her mind.

The ringing of her phone drew her attention back to the present. _Good, a distraction,_ she thought as she reached for the receiver.

"MacKenzie."

"Sarah, how are you?"

Mac's face broke into a wide smile as she recognized the voice, "Trish, it's good to hear from you. I'm okay, how are you, and how's Frank?"

"We're both fine, dear. Frank and I just got in from our trip to Europe. How are you feeling, Harm told me you had come down with a bad case of the flu, are you better now?"

"Much better, thanks for asking. Were you looking to speak to him?"

"Eventually, right now, I'd rather catch up with you. We haven't spoken since Christmas. I assume you recovered from the accident?"

"I was lucky, Trish. The car I was driving was totaled but I walked away with just an airbag bruise. When Harm and I saw the wreck a few days later we were shocked. Part of the engine had come through the firewall. Seeing the damage shook both of us," said Mac. "Harm isn't here, Trish. Did you try his cell phone?"

"I did, just before I called you. I couldn't reach him at home either."

"He's probably still at dinner with Inez," said Mac, unable to hide the hurt in her voice.

"Oh," began Trish. "What brought this on? Did you and Harm have a fight?"

"Oh, nothing like that," Mac said, clarifying the facts. "In fact, Harm asked me to join them."

"Is that all of it," asked Trish. "From the sound of your voice I'd have sworn that you were upset about it."

Over the past few months, Sarah had established a relationship with the woman who might one day be her mother in-law and soon learned that Trish was a very perceptive person who would know right away if someone wasn't being forthright with her. Not wanting to ruin the rapport they had, Mac told her the whole story.

"I can see why you're upset," said Trish, after Mac had filled in the details, "but if I may be so bold, I think you should have accepted Harm's offer. It would have let this woman know she was poaching."

"If Harm and I had that kind of relationship, I would have seriously considered it, but the truth is, I don't have any hold on him, besides, two women fighting over a man seems so degrading. I'm sorry, Trish, I know he's your son, but…"

"Don't apologize, Sarah. As intelligent as my son is, he can be frustratingly obtuse when it comes to social grace. His father was the same way. And you're absolutely right. Fighting over any man is degrading, and Harm should have had more consideration for your feelings. I raised him better than that, especially since his own feelings for you are so strong."

Mac felt her breath catch, "What do you mean about his feelings for me?" she asked quietly.

"Surely, you must know, Sarah?"

"I know he cares for me, he's told me as much but…"

Sarah heard Trish sigh over the phone. "His feelings for you go much deeper than that, darling." she said. "Harmon is very much in love with you, Sarah, and he has been for a very long time."

Mac felt her heart racing as a tingling sensation enveloped her. Feeling lightheaded, she sat down on the couch. "He's in love with me," she asked, in a voice barely over a whisper. "How long have you known?"

"Since the two of you returned from Russia," replied Trish. "While you and Frank were barbecuing on the deck, Harm pulled me aside and told me he had fallen in love with you. It's my understanding that he finally gave you the set of pearls which belonged to Grams."

"He gave them to me on New Year's Eve," Sarah, offered, still in shock from what she had been told. _He's in love with me._

"I'm told he needed to persuade you to accept the gift…"

"He's in love with me," Sarah said aloud, oblivious to what Trish had been saying.

"Yes, Sarah, you can believe it. He is in love with you," replied Trish in a gentle voice.

"Why…why hasn't he been able to tell me?

"He has probably tried, at least in some respect. I suppose it has something to do with losing his father so young. You see, Sarah, my son has always had difficulty verbalizing what he feels, in fact, he is much more expressive by the things he does, rather than what he says."

In the span of a few seconds, Sarah recalled some of the most frustrating conversations she had played out with Harm over the years.

_... _

_"You know better than that. Answer my question. What is your plan other than to take a train to Beloyka? You're being driven by emotions and those emotions are gonna get us killed."_

_"You can quit. I can't. My father is out there somewhere and I'm gonna find him."_

_"Or die trying."_

_"Or die trying. But you shouldn't. You've come with me farther than anyone I know. I'll never forget that, Mac."_

_... _

_"You know, they wrote eternity on this bridge."_

_"Is that how long we're going to wait?"_

_... _

_"You always have someone who loves you."_

_"And you have someone who loves you."_

_... _

_"I thought we were going to talk about us?"_

_"Us! There is no us. There's you and Renee."_

_... _

_"Okay, I have a question for you. You resign your commission and you travel 5000 miles to find me and damn near get killed. Well riddle me this, flyboy, why?"_

_"I think you know why."_

_... _

_"Are you trying to push me into Clay's arms?"_

_"If you're in love with him, it doesn't matter what I think."_

...

All at once, the misunderstood conversations and misconstrued actions were cast in a different light. _He's been telling me all along…and I've been so incredibly blind._

"Sarah, are you still there?"

Suddenly knocked out of her reverie, she replied, "I'm sorry, Trish, I was just thinking…how could I not have seen this?"

"My dear," began Trish, "you're not the first person to be blinded by love."

...

Across town, at a fancy steakhouse, Harm and Inez had just finished their meal and were looking over the dessert menu. Their conversation over dinner had been mostly shared memories about Jordan and shop talk, nothing that could be construed as romantic. This had set Harm at ease, having heard Mac's hidden message, loud and clear. _Watch your six, flyboy._ He would tease her about it later. _Assuming she's not angry with me._

"So Harm, the chocolate mousse looks delicious," Inez quipped suggestively. "We could share."

Harm considered sharing dessert an intimate gesture which was something he now only did with Mac. Suddenly he began to feel uncomfortable.

"You know, it does look good," Harm began, hoping not to sound unfriendly, "but I think I'm just going to have coffee."

"Too bad, you don't know what you are missing," she replied.

When they were finished, Harm signaled the waitress for the check. While they waited for his card to be processed, Inez asked, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow evening?"

"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day," replied Harm.

"That doesn't make the question irrelevant, counselor."

"True," he offered, along with his trademark flyboy smile. "But, I do have plans for the evening."

Her expression didn't change, although Harm could see disappointment in her eyes.

"I'm sorry; I guess I was assuming you didn't have anyone special in your life. Will you be in trouble if you're seen with me?"

"Don't worry, Inez, she knows where I am."

Inez looked at him questioningly when all of a sudden her eyes flew open in astonishment.

"It's Colonel MacKenzie, isn't it?"

"Yeah," said Harm, nodding.

"Harm, you should have told me she was your girlfriend…"

"Mac isn't my girlfriend, well, at least not yet."

Inez looked away, seemingly lost in thought. A few moments later she offered, "I was incredibly rude to her, Harm."

"How so," he asked. Obviously something had passed between them that he had missed.

"Oh Harm, women can be incredibly catty at times. I'm surprised you don't know that. I'll have to call her tomorrow to apologize."

"Inez, don't make a big deal over it…"

"If it were anyone but you, I wouldn't care, but I consider your friendship too important to place in jeopardy. Please tell her I will call tomorrow."

"I will," replied Harm. "Now I have a favor to ask of you."

"Name it."

"Mac and I haven't hidden the fact that we are seeing each other, but we're not flaunting it either…"

"Got it, mum's the word."

Harm escorted Inez to her car. As she reached for her keys she turned back to Harm, "I hope the Colonel knows just how lucky she is. If things don't work out between you two, give me a call." A moment later she added, "Thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome," Harm offered. Once she was safely in her vehicle and on the road, he climbed into his SUV intent on stopping by to see Mac.


	2. Chapter 2 Excess Baggage:

**Chapter 2; Excess Baggage:**

**22:20Z**

**Mac's Apartment, Georgetown:**

As Harm was leaving the restaurant, Mac was still on the phone with his mother. The last time she had such a long conversation with Harm's mother was on Thanksgiving Day. Normally, she and Harm would have joined the Roberts for dinner, but this past year, Harriet and Bud had taken the family to visit his in-laws.

Mac had been avoiding Harm since the night in October when she had interrupted his dinner with Alicia. When he asked her to join him for Thanksgiving, the invite had taken her by surprise. Despite everything she was feeling, she still considered Harm to be her closest friend and dinner with a good friend was much better than being alone. The fact that Harm was an excellent cook was the icing on the cake.

After dinner, they had spent almost two hours on the phone with his parents and most of that time was taken by Trish and Mac. Becoming Mattie's guardian had several positive effects on the man she loved. He was staying in touch with his parents much more than he did before, something that had always been a sticking point with Mac, as it reminded her of everything she never had as a child.

_"You don't realize just how lucky you are, flyboy,"_ Mac had loudly proclaimed in anger some years ago. _"I would give up everything I am today to have had the opportunity to be raised by such loving parents!"_

The relationship between Harm and Frank had benefited as well, mostly due to the fact that Harm found himself in almost the same situation; caring for a child for whom he had no biological connection. All of these things had worked to draw her closer to Harm, and disillusion her about her relationship with Webb.

"You know, Sarah," Trish was saying, "In all the years Harm has been away, you are the only woman he has gone out of his way to have us meet. I just knew you were the one."

"Trish, I only had known Harm for a month when he introduced us. Besides, he told me that you met Diane…"

"True," interrupted Trish. "I did meet three of Harm's girlfriends. Let's see, Frank and I met Diane while visiting Harm at the academy. We already knew Annie; we met her when she and Luke got engaged. Frank never met Renee and the only reason I did was my visit to DC a few years ago."

"I didn't know that," Mac said quietly. "I was surprised when Harm asked me to join all of you for dinner. After all, I hardly knew him. I just assumed he was being polite. How in the world did he know?"

"Sometimes you just do, darling. The day I met his father, I knew I was going to marry him. Harm once told me the two of you experienced a similar moment on the day you met?"

"Because I was a dead ringer for Diane, Harm looked at me like he had just seen a ghost, not that I blame him, she could have been my twin sister. I was so unnerved by his reaction that I'm not really sure what I was feeling, but there was, just for a moment, something in his eyes that day. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps."

"Has this look he gives you ever reappeared?" asked Trish.

"Once in a while," replied Mac. "Harm will look at me a certain way that gets me all unglued. It's the same glance I saw for a brief moment when we met. I've asked him to tell me what he was thinking, but he always dodges the question with a less than honest answer. The most poignant example happened on the night of my engagement party, Harm was just gazing at me and when I asked him what he saw when he looked at me like that, his answer was, 'A desirable woman.' But his eyes were saying so much more to me than that."

"What do you think he was trying to say?"

"Even back then, Harm and I were always able to communicate without words. At times, our lives had depended on it. It's probably wishful thinking on my part, but if I had to put it into words, he was telling me that he was in love with me and he seemed to be begging me to call it off."

"Did you press him on it?"

"No, I didn't," replied Mac. "And maybe I should have. By then, I already knew I was making the biggest mistake of my life, but I felt trapped by circumstance. Too many people would be hurt if I backed out so I decided to just make the best of it. I had almost managed to convince myself I was just being a nervous bride."

"Almost?"

"Did Harm ever tell you what happened between us that night?"

"He told me that the two of you spent a good portion of the evening on the Admiral's porch talking. The last thing he said before we ended the call was he was about to let the love of his life marry another man. I don't suppose he shared that particular thought with you, did he?" asked Trish.

"I wish he had," replied Mac. "We shared a kiss that night and I'm not talking about a chaste peck on the cheek. I'm talking about the kind of kiss which would be given by two people who were madly in love, the kind of kiss that sweeps you from your feet and leaves you breathless with desire. That kiss alone, was almost enough for me to throw caution to the wind and run away and marry him that night. Had Harm vocalized his feelings, it might have pushed me over the edge."

As she had recounted the tale to his mother, a shiver of longing quaked through her being.

"Sarah, I can't even imagine the hell you were going through. How did you ever end up in such a mess?"

The call waiting beeped on the line, "Trish, hold on a moment, I have another call."

Mac flashed the hook switch, "MacKenzie."

"Hey, Mac."

"Hey yourself, flyboy," she replied, still out of sorts from recalling that evening. "How was your date with Dr. Elgin?" she asked, hoping to distract him from her discomfort.

"It wasn't a date, Mac," replied Harm, drolly, "well, at least not from my point of view. You seem to be in a good mood."

"I am. I'm on the other line with your mother. Are you planning on coming by?"

"Is that an invitation?"

"Yes it is, as long as you're willing to feed me," Mac offered. "I'm in the mood for a Beltway Burger. You already know what kind I like."

"One grease ball special, made per the Colonel's instructions. What are you and my mother discussing? Should I be concerned?"

"Not what, who," replied Mac. "Who do we usually talk about when we're on the phone?"

"I knew my ears were burning for a reason. Tell Mom I'll talk to her when I get to your place, assuming the two of you are still chatting."

"I will," Mac said, looking out the window. The snow which had started earlier had increased in intensity. "How are the roads?" she asked, her voice now laced with concern.

"They're getting slippery."

"In that case I'll let you get off the phone. Be safe, Harm."

"I'll see you in about fifteen minutes. Bye."

Sarah switched back to the other line. "Trish, that was Harm. He's on his way over. I'm expecting him in about fifteen minutes. He said to tell you he'll call you when he gets here."

"Do you need to go?"

"No, he's bringing food so all I have to do is wait for him. Where were we?"

"Let me see, ah yes. I had asked you how you found yourself in such a mess."

"It's a very long story. The short version goes something like this. Some years ago, Harm, Bud, and I were working on a case down in Australia, well, Harm and Bud were working. I was there on leave. The second night there, Harm and I went out to dinner and that is when I talked with him about moving our relationship forward, at least that is what I was trying to say. I misunderstood him…he misunderstood me…bottom line…we both came to the conclusion we had no future together."

"Oh dear," replied Trish. "That certainly explains a few things."

"You know, with both of us being attorneys, you would think we would be able to communicate with each other better."

"Love has a way of twisting the facts, darling."

"That fact is getting clearer to me," agreed Mac. "The night before we flew back to the states, Mic and I went to dinner. Now he had been pursuing me ever since he had been stationed at JAG and despite his overbearing personality, Mic was fun to be with and he did have a lot going for him. That night, he shocked the hell out of me when he asked me to marry him."

"Did you say yes?" asked Trish.

"I was vulnerable, Trish. I had just had my hopes and dreams dashed the night before by the man of my dreams and the very next night, I'm offered everything that I hoped for. I knew I wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment with him so I told him I needed time to think about it. That's when he asked me to wear the ring on my right hand. Looking back at it now, I should have refused. That was my first mistake."

"It sounds to me like this man wasn't going to take no for an answer. Let me ask you; how long did it take before he started pressuring you into moving the ring to the other hand."

"Because this was going to be a long distance relationship, I felt like I would have some time to really think things over. It was four months later, that he resigned his commission from the Royal Navy and moved back to DC, all while not bothering to tell me. Now, instead of having time to consider my options, I had to deal with him being underfoot. What I should have done was given him back the ring until I felt I was ready to say yes. Not doing that was my second mistake."

"Why didn't you, dear. If this man truly loved you, he should have been able to understand what you were feeling."

"Honestly, Trish, I don't know how he would have reacted and I was dealing with my own fear of being abandoned. I guess that is what happens when your own mother leaves you with an alcoholic father on your fifteenth birthday. I can't blame her for leaving, but why didn't she take me with her…"

The last sentence came out in sobs and Mac took a moment to reign in her emotions. "I'm sorry," she said, once she had composed herself.

"That's quite all right, dear," said Trish. "Harm had told me that you had been through a rough childhood, but he never told us the details. One of the things he admires about you is your ability to rise above the challenges life has given you. He considers your inner strength an inspiration."

"Lately I've been getting most of my strength and courage from him. How I wish I could have turned to him while all of this was going on."

"So, at the time, you didn't feel like you could discuss things with Harm?"

"Harm never liked Mic, so I knew he would be biased, and since he seemed to be getting serious with Renee I couldn't spend much time with him without getting in the way. Renee and I had an adversarial relationship at best. I didn't care much for her as I felt Harm could do much better. And she didn't trust me as far as she could throw me. Both Mic and Renee were jealous of my friendship with Harm."

"They probably saw it for what it was."

"You're probably right, and if Harm and I had been honest with each other, we would have seen it as well. We were both involved with the wrong people for the wrong reason."

"Something must have changed your mind about Mic's proposal," Trish offered. "What changed your mind?"

"It was a combination of things, really. I'm sure you remember Harm telling you about Harriet and Bud losing their second child…"

"I do," interjected Trish. "As I recall, they named her after you."

"Yes, Sarah Roberts," replied Mac, wistfully. "The doctor, who was being tried for dereliction of duty, had hired Mic's law firm. Because of his friendship with Harriet and Bud, Mic refused to take the case. When they threatened to fire him, Mic resigned. I have to admit, I was so proud of him for doing that. It was the same thing I would have expected from Harm and because of that, it tugged at my heartstrings. But by standing up for his principles, Mic had sacrificed his only source of income. When the Royal Navy offered him a position, he decided to move back to Australia, unless of course, I gave him a reason to stay."

"So he pressured you into the engagement."

"I had over ten months to think about it," countered Mac. "I didn't think it wasn't fair to string him along anymore so I gave in. I know that I did love him. I told him so, but in all honesty, I didn't love him with my whole heart. I wasn't in love with him."

"Do you still feel guilty about this, Sarah?"

"Like I told my therapist, I'm an alcoholic, I feel guilty about everything."

"Well don't," Trish stated, very firmly. "None of this was your fault."

"I wish I could believe that."

"Do you want to hear my opinion?"

"I would," said Mac.

"Okay, this is how I see things," offered Trish. "When Mic first offered you the ring to wear on your right hand, he already knew you weren't ready to say yes to marriage. You didn't tell him you needed a month, or ten months, or a year, you said you needed time, an unspecified amount of time. He agreed to that and as far as I'm concerned, what he did to you was nothing short of emotional blackmail. He played on your feelings to get what he wanted. If my son ever pulled a stunt like that, I would tan his hide. I don't care how old, or how big he is."

The image of Harm being taken over his mother's knee raced across her mind, causing her to break out in hysterical laughter.

"Trish, you're too much," said Mac, gasping for air. "I can just picture him now."

"I'm very serious, dear," replied Trish. "I taught my son to respect a woman's boundaries."

"Well you can be proud of him, Trish. In all the time I've known him, Harm has never, and I mean never tried to take advantage of me, emotionally or physically, and believe me, he has had more than a few opportunities. Sometimes I wish he wasn't such a gentleman."

"Not if he knows what is good for him," Trish stated sternly.

A knock at the front door drew Sarah's attention. "There's someone at the door, Trish. It might be Harm. Hold on a sec."

Mac jumped off the couch and checked through the peephole. Sure enough, her flyboy was standing in the hallway with his briefcase in one hand and a Beltway bag in the other. She unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.

"Hey," she said in greeting, as she ushered him inside.

"Hey, yourself," he replied.

She took the Beltway bag from him and handed over the phone. "Put your briefcase down and say hello to your mother. I'll grab us both something to drink."

As Harm conversed with his mother, Mac set the takeout bag in the kitchen and set to preparing a cup of tea for her guest and benefactor. _God, I'm hungry,_ she thought, as she caught a whiff of the burger. When she came into the living room, Harm had already shed his jacket which she took and hung after setting down his tea. A few minute later, she was seated next to him indulging herself in one of her favorite pleasures.

"Hmm, this is _so_ good," she said, with a seductive tone.

The last hour on the phone with Harm's mom had raised her spirits considerably. Mac had discussed her failed engagement with her therapist, with Harriet, and even with Harm, but for the first time, she felt as if the weight had been finally lifted from her shoulders. She had been able to vent without being psychoanalyzed, placated, second guessed, or judged.

At peace with herself she leaned into his shoulder and he placed his free arm around her like it was natural. What a difference a couple of hours could make as her night had gone from hurt and concern to peaceful bliss. Silently she prayed nothing would happen to spoil her mood.

Sarah didn't really pay attention to Harm's side of the conversation mostly because she was just happy to be in his company, although one statement he made managed to catch her interest. She toyed with the idea of teasing him about it later. _He's in love with me,_ she kept saying in her mind, letting that one thought replay itself over and over. She still wanted to hear the words from him, but just knowing the truth emboldened her to consider taking the next step.

The fear of commitment, at least for her, had nothing to do with being fenced in and Harm wasn't a possessive man, although he was fiercely protective of the people he cared about. Her fear had to do with being abandoned. She had been abandoned by her mother, abandoned by her father when he died before she could make peace with him, abandoned by Mic, and even though she knew better, she felt abandoned by Harm, the first time was when he returned to the fleet, and later, when he was forced out of JAG after the Admiral had processed his resignation.

In her heart, she knew he would never leave her. He had told her as much at the Admiral's Dining Out. Harm's eyes always held the truth and in those eyes, she knew her would never leave her. Their conversation in Paraguay came back in her thoughts.

_"Okay, I have a question for you. You resign your commission and you travel 5000 miles to find me and damn near get killed. Well riddle me this, flyboy, why?"_

_"I think you know why." I'm in love with you, Sarah, _her mind added to the conversation. _If you had only said that to me, flyboy, I would have kissed you senseless._

Harm wrapped up the conversation with his mother and they both wished her a good night. When Mac finished her meal she carried the dish into the kitchen and looked out the window. The snow was really coming down now and there had to be almost eight inches on the ground already.

"Harm, did you bring an overnight bag with you?" she asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's in the car. I'll have to go out and get it."

"Why don't you get it now before the snow gets any deeper?"

"How much do we have…" he stopped when he looked out the window next to her. "I didn't think it would be this bad," he added.

"That's okay; I was going to ask you to stay anyway. I need to talk to you about some things."

The concern on his face was not lost on her and she quickly added, "It's not anything bad, at least I don't think it's bad." She punctuated her comments with a quick kiss on his lips bringing his megawatt flyboy smile to full power.

While he dashed out to the car, she quickly outlined her thoughts in her mind. _Who are we going to tell outright? Do we try to hide it from others? Are we going to discuss it with the General?_

The last question gave her a moment of pause. If AJ Chegwidden were still at the helm, she would not have any doubt as to the correct course of action. With Cresswell, she wasn't so sure. Mac had managed to strike a rapport with the no nonsense Marine but she had no idea how he would react to the news that two of his staff had become romantically involved. With two people of equal rank in an office setting, the fraternization regulations were somewhat vague and open to the CO's interpretation. And technically, as Chief of Staff, she outranked Harm, although they both had long ago abandoned that formality.

With Harriet and Bud, Admiral Chegwidden had set a precedent, but there was no guarantee that Cresswell would honor it._ I'll see how Harm feels about it. He seems to have a decent rapport with the General._

Once Harm had returned and changed into comfortable clothes, they sat down on the couch.

"So, Mac," he began. "What's on your mind?"

"Let's talk about…a…you and me."


	3. Chapter 3 Moving Forward:

**Chapter 3; Moving Forward:**

**23:04Z**

**Mac's Apartment, Georgetown:**

Once he had changed into his sweats, Harm padded over to the couch and sat next to Mac. Immediately she snuggled close to him and he draped his arm around her. Ever since the Admiral's night, he had been waiting for her to let him know when she was ready to move forward. For him, it had been a difficult struggle. He had worn his heart on his sleeve that night by finally telling Mac that he wanted to be part of her life. For her part, she initially refused, but agreed to allow him to look into the possibilities. True to his word, he had done some extensive research into her condition and for a brief moment, she seemed as if she was going to consider it, but in the end, she ended the conversation with, _"Let me come to you,"_ Feeling like he had pushed too hard, Rabb backed off hoping this was her version of, _"Not yet."_ This was the very same thing he had told her in Sidney Harbor. Now, hoist on his own petard, he now had to live up to the same standard he had once expected of her. _Do I love her enough to wait?_ he asked himself, only to be met with a resounding, _You already know the answer to that._ Paraguay had taught him that lesson. Harm knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would do it all again, even if it meant reliving the last two years of hell.

Finding out that Webb was alive had complicated matters, but, in the end, Mac had decided on her own that her relationship with the CIA agent was not what she wanted for her life. On the beach, she had expressed her need to figure out where she was. Not wanting to pressure her into a relationship she wasn't ready for, he said, _"Well, Mac, when you figure it out, let me know."_ He then did one of the hardest things he ever had to do, he turned and walked away. _She knows how I feel about her. It's in her hands now._ It wasn't until the night of her accident that he learned that she had misunderstood his actions. _Is she ready to move forward,_ he wondered.

"So, Mac," he began. "What's on your mind?" he asked, in a friendly, but subdued tone.

"Let's talk about…a…you and me," she replied. Harm felt a surge of adrenalin course through him and his pulse quickened. Before either of them could say another word, the lights flickered and died, leaving them both in the dark.

Harm shook his head and began to laugh.

"What's so funny, flyboy?"

"Mac, did you ever get the feeling that fate is conspiring against us?"

"Only every other minute," she replied, a bit of humor still in her voice. "I'll dig up some candles while you get the fireplace going."

"Mac?"

"Yeah, Harm?"

"Come hell or high water, we are going to talk. I promise."

She rewarded him with a tender smile. "Don't make a promise you can't keep."

"I haven't yet," he offered, along with the full intensity of his trademark smile.

A few minute later, the fireplace was roaring and candles on the coffee table added a soft illumination to Mac's living room. While they were busy with the preparations, Mac's weather radio went off. The storm had stalled off the coast and was not expected to let up before late tomorrow afternoon. Blizzard warnings were being issued for the entire Mid-Atlantic coast, including the greater DC area.

"There go our plans for tomorrow night," Mac said, the disappointment clearly evident in her voice.

"I'll make it up to you, Mac. I promise," Harm said. "Look on the bright side. We probably won't have to go in tomorrow and if I had to be snowed in with anyone, I would want it to be you."

"That goes for me too, sailor."

They sat in silence for a few minutes snuggled together on the couch just watching the flames in the fireplace. Not wanting her to feel pressured, Harm waited patiently for her to continue.

"Harm, what did you mean when I asked you about dinner tonight? You said something about your point of view. I didn't quite catch it."

_You don't miss a trick, MacKenzie,_ he thought.

"When Inez asked me to dinner, I assumed it was just something between friends. You were right to warn me because apparently, she had other ideas."

"You picked up on my message?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"Loud and clear, ninja girl," he replied, chuckling as he spoke. "I guess that means you get to say I told you so."

"That explains the look she gave me when you extended an invitation to me," said Mac. "I would have joined you if I felt welcome."

"I'm sorry about that, Mac. I really would have rather had dinner with you. I should have just told her I had plans with my girlfriend, but since you're not..."

"You could have just said you had plans and left it at that," Mac offered, interrupting.

"I suppose," sighed Harm. "Were you upset with me?"

"I was upset, Harm, but I had no right to be. It wasn't fair to expect you to wait around for me to decide if I'm ready for a relationship. And as much as it warms my heart that you have waited, another part of me feels guilty for holding you back."

"You're not holding me back, Sarah. I decided a long time ago that you were worth waiting for. When I returned to JAG after my stint at the CIA and found out that you and Clay were dating, I have to admit I was heartbroken. I didn't realize just how unhappy you were until one night last January when the Admiral pulled me aside and pointed out the obvious. I couldn't believe how blind I was."

She looked intensely at him, her chocolate brown eyes darkened with emotion, as she took hold of his hands in her own.

"Has it been as difficult for you as it's been for me," she began, her eyes suddenly looking beyond him as if she was focusing on something afar. "Seeing the person you care about every day, knowing that you want to be a part of their life, and have this person as part of yours, only to be denied by forces you neither understand nor have power over?"

Harm had to force down his emotions as he was now on the verge of tears. She had, so eloquently, put words to his feelings. "I know," he said, ramping down his feelings. "You just want to scream it at the top of a mountain, but fate just stands in your way."

"I don't want fate deciding our future, maybe it's time we do something about it."

Harm felt his pulse begin to race once again._ Is she saying what I think she is?_ Before he could speak, Mac went on, "What I'm considering scares me to death, Harm. My heart has been so badly broken by so many people…my trust has been violated so many times in the past…I don't know if I can survive another letdown. If I fall this time…I'll never be able to give my heart to anyone ever again."

As he watched the tears forming in her eyes, Harm found his own heart breaking in empathy. "Mac, I…"

"Please, just let me finish, okay?"

"Okay."

"The thing that scares me more than anything else…is forever losing the one man that I'm truly in love with. Over the past few months, I've managed to find within myself, just enough trust to offer him my heart one last time. Tonight, I'm ready to tell him, but before I can, I need to know the answer to one question. Is he in love with me?"

Harm could hardly believe what he was hearing, but he carefully considered his response before he answered. Too many times in the past, they found themselves at odds because of misconstrued or misunderstood words, thoughts and feelings. This time he was going to get it right. She was speaking of a third person, but her eyes said she was referring to him. As if reading his thoughts, she added, "Is my flyboy still in love with me? Is he finally ready to let go?"

"Yes Sarah," began Harm, speaking in the same tense she was. "Your flyboy is very madly in love with his ninja girl. He has been and he always will be. Yes, he is finally ready to let go."

Like they had at the New Year's Eve Ball, they drew together into a gentle, lingering kiss that soon took on a life of its own. Unencumbered by prying eyes, they allowed their tongues to dance once more as the pent up passion began to consume them.

Harm let Sarah take the lead, keeping his hands from away from certain places until she indicated she was ready. For now, she seemed to be content just exploring the new experience of kissing him senseless, which she was doing with great gusto.

A while later they both needed to come up for air. Harm noticed as she glanced at the clock and he couldn't help flashing his trademark smile.

"Damn you, flyboy," she cursed. "You fried my clock again."

"That's okay," quipped Harm, "I understand that it is self winding."

"Funny."

"I thought so."

The expression on her face suddenly grew serious. "I love you, Harm," she offered. "Thank you for not pushing me. I do appreciate it."

"I love you too, Sarah, I just didn't want to assume anything."

"Well, I appreciate that too, but I wasn't referring to just now. I know how hard it was for you push your feelings aside while I was trying to find myself. You don't even know how many times I had to fight the urge to run to you, wanting you to take away my pain and loneliness. But I didn't want to ruin any chance we have at happiness by sleeping with you for the wrong reasons. We both deserve better than that."

"Do you think you've dealt with everything you needed to?"

"No, not by a long shot," she replied. "If I waited to do that, we'd both be old and gray before we ever got together. But I think I've dealt with the things that would keep us apart; Paraguay and the aftermath, everything that happened with Clay. Do you know what the hardest thing of all is?"

"Tell me," he said.

"When we were back at the hotel, after Clay and Gunny took the next room. I had asked you why you risked your life and gave up your career to find me and your answer was, 'I think you know why.' If I had my wits about me and hadn't been through a week of pure hell, I would have been listening with my heart. I would have realized what you were trying to tell me, but because I was still running on pure adrenalin and wasn't thinking straight, I pushed you away. It was like I was someone else and nothing seemed real to me."

"You went through hell, Mac. The only reason I can even relate, is because of the nightmares I was having. I can't even imagine the reality of what you suffered."

"Before this mess happened, we were growing closer to a meaningful relationship. I should have trusted in that and because I didn't we lost almost two years of our lives…"

"It's not your fault, Sarah," he interjected. "I could have been more forthcoming. When it comes to expressing emotion, I've always spoken in riddles, or answered a question with a question, or evaded the question altogether and never once have I given a straight answer. When I was walking out of the Admiral's office, after informing him of my resignation, he asked me a question. 'What are you going to do if you find her, and what are you willing to do to keep her.' The answer I gave him was pathetic. I told him that I hadn't thought it through. What I should have told him was I was willing to do whatever it took."

"You know, Harm, when I told you things would never work between us, I was frustrated with you for pushing me to leave. I needed to take a moment just to consider everything that had happened and just celebrate the fact that we were still alive. I was still angry with you, but, if you had just been there, by my side and supported me, things might have ended differently."

"I'm sorry, Mac," he replied. "All I could thing about was getting you out of that God forsaken country. You didn't have a passport and without the CIA to get us through customs, you wouldn't be allowed to…"

"Shhh..," she said, putting her finger to his lips. "I do understand why you acted the way you did. Despite everything that happened down there, you arrived just in time to save my life. The only reason that mission succeeded was because of your intervention. At least some good came of all this."

She paused a moment before adding, "It really hurt to realize that the Admiral had given up on me."

"He was probably under orders, Sarah. When we found out that you had missed check in, I fully expected him to send me after you, or even go himself, but the way he said you were probably dead, as if it didn't mean anything…I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. After the incident, he wasn't the same man and I think that had a lot to do with his decision to retire. A Seal, being forced to break the Seal Code…it had to have weighed heavily on his heart. I lost some of the respect I had for him that day I'm sorry to say. It's like finding out Superman robbed a bank."

"I guess this proves that we are all human," offered Mac, "even people we see as larger than life."

Harm stood from the couch and walked to the window. Outside, he could barely see across the street through the wind driven snow. His SUV had almost a foot of snow on the roof but with the wind causing drifts, it became hard to tell just how much had fallen. "We won't be going anywhere tomorrow," he said. "It looks like the convenience store is still open."

Mac had just tossed another log on the fire and she joined him at the window. Standing behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Are you looking for a reason to go out and play in the snow?" she teased.

"Not really," he replied. "But from the sounds of it, we might not get a chance to get out tomorrow. Do we need anything?"

"Actually, I did make a list, it's on the counter. Harm, should I pull out the sofa bed? It might get a bit cold in the bedroom by morning."

"We should be all right with the down comforter," he replied. "But, then again…from the looks of it, this whole area is out."

"We could be without power for a while," she offered.

"Well, there is always my place."

"You're assuming you have power."

"Easy enough to find out," said Harm as he dialed his home from his cell phone.

After ten or so rings, Rabb ended the call. "The answering machine didn't pickup so I guess I don't have any electricity either. We are probably better off staying here. At least we have heat."

"Not to mention the fact that we can cook with gas," Mac added. "My stove can be lit manually in the event of a power failure."

"That's my Marine, always thinking about her stomach." He feigned hurt when she whacked him in the arm.

"Since I'm going to be spending the night with you, I expect to be served breakfast in the morning," she teased.

Harm allowed his mind to drift back to the day they had been stranded in Appalachia after his plane had suffered a mechanical. "Remember the first time you said that to me?"

"How could I forget," she replied. "We were being chased by a couple of deranged murdering hillbillies, with you carrying me because I'd been shot in the leg. We ended up in a cave freezing our asses off overnight, and all I was worried about was whether the woman you named your plane after was still in your life."

Harm turned so that he was facing her, their arms around each other's waists. "Why were you concerned about that, Sarah?" _And why didn't I act on it,_ he finished in his head.

"I don't know…maybe I knew there was a connection between us. I know we've discussed this before, but I still wonder how much we missed by not acting on our feelings sooner."

"Regrets, Marine?"

"A few," she replied. "Once in a while I think about what might have been if there had been no Dalton, Mic, or Clay in my life, or no Annie, Jordan, or Renee in yours. And just as often I think maybe what happened needed to happen for us to be together."

"Predestination? That's deep, MacKenzie," Harm said, teasing her. "While I may agree with the notion that we are both better people because of our experiences, I'm not sure that our experiences were necessary for our eventual happiness."

Their attention was drawn away by the ringing of Harm's cell phone. Separating from her embrace, he padded over to the coffee table and answered, "Rabb."

"Commander, I've been trying to reach you at home," came the gruff voice of General Cresswell.

"General," said Rabb, looking across the room at Mac as her eyes shot up in surprise. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I've just got the latest weather reports and it looks like we are going to get clobbered. The National Weather Service is predicting thirty plus inches of snow in the greater DC area so I'm calling the game now."

"Do you need help with the notifications, sir?"

"No, thank you, Commander," replied the General. "Commander Turner got himself stuck at the office with Coates and three other enlisted personnel. He's notifying the support staff. Do you know if Colonel MacKenzie is at home? Her home phone is out of order and I can't reach her by cell."

"She's right here, sir. Do you need to speak to her?"

"Good God, Rabb, tell me that the two of you aren't out in this weather."

"No, sir, we are at her apartment. We lost power about forty minutes ago. Whatever happened must have taken out the phone as well."

"I hope for your sake, the Colonel was kind enough to offer her couch."

"Yes sir, she already offered, as long as that isn't a problem…"

"Is there any reason that it should be?" the General asked gruffly.

"No sir, not at all."

"Good. Let me speak to Colonel MacKenzie."

Harm handed the phone to Mac, who had a worried look on her face. She put the phone to her ear, "General?"

Hearing only her side of the conversation, he wondered what comments were being made at his expense. _Marines always stick together._

"Yes sir…No sir…It's not a problem, sir…I'll do my best, sir…Good night, General."

Mac seemed more at ease so he questioned her, "What was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied coyly.

"Maaacc."

"Cresswell just gave me an impossible task," she said, clearly teasing him.

"Well…do tell."

"I've been tasked with keeping your squid ass in line."

"Cute, Marine."

Sarah grew suddenly serious, "Do you think he knows about us?"

Harm remembered the searing kiss they had shared on New Year's Eve. After recovering from the moment, he had seen Cresswell and his wife looking in their direction. While Dora Cresswell looked enchanted, the expression on the General's face remained unreadable. Harm fully expected that the two of them would be called into his office the next business day. To his surprise, Cresswell said nothing about the incident, but when he and Mac were sent to the Florida Keys, the General sent Petty Officer Coates along, as a chaperone, at least in his eyes.

"I sure he knows something is in the works, Mac," he replied. "I think we should be up front with him about us, I mean, now that there is an '_us_'…"

"I don't know, Harm, I mean…if we were still working for Chegwidden, I would have no reservations, but the General…I know I cleared the air with him about Okinawa, but I'm still not completely comfortable with him. What if he decides to transfer one or both of us?"

"Sarah, I could be wrong, but General Cresswell strikes me as the type of person who respects honesty and integrity. If he had a problem with us being a couple, he would have already addressed it by now. Besides, the Admiral set a precedent with Harriet and Bud."

"You know as well as I do that the General may not follow it," Mac countered. "He has his own way of doing things."

"Do you trust me, Sarah," he asked, as he softly lifted her chin with his finger.

"I always have."

"Then trust me now. We'll be okay."

She looked at him intently, like she had so many times in the past. Her tiny smile told him she was placing her future in his hands.

"Okay," she said. "We should get to the store before it gets too deep to walk," she added, changing the subject.

"I can run out, if you want," he offered.

"And let you have all the fun? No way, flyboy!"


	4. Chapter 4 Early Morning Thoughts:

**Chapter 4; Early Morning Thoughts:**

**09:35Z**

**Mac's Apartment, Georgetown:**

_He's in love with me,_ was her first waking thought as a snapping log in the fireplace had roused Mac from slumber. Looking over to where her entertainment center was, she noticed the dark display on her cable box, meaning the power was still out. In the sofa-bed spooned in behind her, Harm was still captured in the depths of sleep. The fire was still going fairly strong and she assumed her bunkmate must have tended to it sometime during the night. Satisfied that all was well, she laid her head back on the pillow and reached for his hand which was resting on her belly, relaxing in his embrace.

A smile graced her features as she pondered everything which had transpired that evening. Although she had dealt with her feelings about Mic, being able to discuss it with Harm's mother had been therapeutic for her. If nothing else, it reinforced the notion that she and Harm had been misreading each other's words and intentions for years. The similarity between the night on the ferry in Sydney, and the night at the taxi stand in Paraguay was undeniable. They were talking, but neither of them was listening.

_If I'd only been looking with my heart, instead of my eyes,_ she considered.

As she pondered all the events in their lives, one particular morning came to mind. It was an event they seldom spoke of, one which might have broken the endless dance had it occurred after Jagathon. On the fateful morning of September 11th, Harm had been scheduled to meet with a client in the Navy Command Center, located on the 1st floor of the D ring at around 13:00Z. When Flight 77 impacted the west side; Harm had already completed his interview and was in another part of the building. With the ensuing chaos following the attack, sign-in sheets had been lost and Commander Rabb had been counted among the missing. Most of the phone lines were jammed that day and Harm, assisting with the rescue effort, had been unable to get word out that he was all right. It was late in the afternoon before he returned to JAG HQ.

As long as she lived, Sarah would never forget her reaction when she saw Harm walking into the bullpen. In front of everyone, she went running into his arms, practically knocking him over and in the process committing a gross breach of military protocol.

_"Easy does it, Marine,"_ he had said to her as he returned her embrace.

_"Thank God, you're alive,"_ she said, barely keeping her emotions in check. She had held onto him for a few minutes before the Admiral cleared his throat drawing her attention as to where she was.

_"My apologies, sir..."_ she had begun to say before the Admiral had waved her off.

_"Unnecessary, Colonel,"_ replied Chegwidden, softly. _"Today, I think we are all allowed a little latitude,"_ he added solemnly.

The events of 9-11 had been a wakeup call for both of them as they had barely been speaking to each other after her return from Aceh. Mac wanted to clear the air, but Harm seemed so distant and unreachable. Her reaction that morning, seeing him alive, was raw and spontaneous and they both knew it. It wouldn't be until the Jagathon event before they would reconcile their relationship, but the seeds of forgiveness had been planted on that fateful day.

_If we only had held on to what we both were feeling that day we might have worked things out sooner. Maybe, just maybe…_

Thanks in part to his mother's intervention last night, they both finally let go, something they both needed to. Because of Mac's upbringing, the idea of unconditional love; loving like you will never get hurt was a concept which was as foreign to her as it was to Harm. In his case, the underlying reasons were different, but the end result was the same.

Over the past year, Harm had grown in this aspect mostly due to his relationship with Mattie although he still had trouble verbalizing his affection. His mother had attested to that. Mac knew she still had a long way to go, although her therapy sessions with Commander McCool were helping beyond measure. At least she and Harm seemed to be dancing to the same sheet of music again. _Maybe even the same measure, _she thought. _God, I missed him so!_

After they had talked and professed their mutual love for each other, the last remnants of despair clouding their relationship seemed to be lifted. Despite the wind driven snow, they had taken a few minutes just to enjoy their newfound togetherness, playing like children, pitching snowballs at each other along the way. They had arrived just before the store was about to close, so they quickly gathered up everything Mac had on her list, plus some extra supplies which they thought they would need and made the short jaunt back to her place.

Soon after they returned Harm and Mac were ready to turn in for the evening. Since the temperature in the bedroom had dropped significantly they decided to bed down in the living room. While preparing for bed, Mac found that Mother Nature had decided to intervene on their plans for keeping warm. _Damn, my own body is conspiring against me,_ she thought, knowing that she was a week early. _Of all nights, why does this have to happen tonight?_

To say that Mac was frustrated would be an understatement. Her cycle had always been a tad irregular but it had taken them so long to get to this point. Tears began to flow and it seemed to her that fate was bound and determined to keep them apart. She briefly considered saying, 'to hell with it,' but she didn't want her first time with him to be tainted with _that._

Of course Harm had found a measure of humor in the situation, remarking to her that their timing was always a little off and why should this be any different. The joke had fallen flat and the only thing which kept her from breaking down completely or biting his head off, was his quick action of gathering her into his arms.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said. "I love you, Sarah. Nothing changes that."

Hearing those words on his lips, and seeing the truth of them reflecting in his eyes had melted her heart and she relaxed in his arms, soaking up every ounce of love he offered. They had settled in between the sheets, and enjoyed a session of heavy petting and passionate kissing before sleep claimed both of them.

Sarah had been basking in the emotional intimacy she and Harm had been sharing since her accident on Christmas Eve, but knowing that she was truly loved by the man next to her warmed her heart beyond all expression. _And we haven't even made love, yet,_ she thought, realizing the best was yet to come. Behind her, Harm shifted in his sleep, unconsciously drawing her closer, sending a pulse of warmth through her core. Knowing they had another hour or so until dawn, she allowed sleep to claim her once more, content that for once in her life; things were _truly_ right in her world.

...

**11:03Z**

**Mac's Apartment, Georgetown:**

As the sounds and visions of the waking world drifted into his conscious, Harm began to remember just where he was, and just _who_ he was with. A smile came to his face as we watched the glow of the firelight dancing on her exposed shoulder. Deciding that the fire would keep for a while longer he was more than content to stay right where he was, lying on his back with Sarah snuggled into the crook of his shoulder, her arm draped across his torso.

Looking down, he was able to see the side of her face, the side that wasn't pressed against his chest and the expression was one of pure bliss. It had been so long since he had seen her sleep so peaceful and he wasn't going to disturb her.

For a few moments, he concentrated on the sound of her breathing, a quiet steady cadence which had an almost intoxicating effect on him. A while later, he focused his attention on her bare shoulders remembering that with the exception of her panties, there was nothing between them but skin. The state of undress they were in had been her idea, allowing them the freedom to explore each other unencumbered giving them a taste of better things ahead.

Rabb cursed himself a fool, wondering for the umpteenth million time what had ever possessed him to ever let her get away, knowing full well they could have been together almost seven years ago.

_I should have told her I was kissing her, not Diane,_ he thought, remembering the night down in Norfolk.

Harm knew there would be no going back to the way things used to be, nor did he want that. He had never been so deeply in love as he was right now. Absently he toyed with her hair. She had let it grow out over the past year and a half and while he didn't care for the way she wore it in uniform, (he liked the cute bob better) he dearly loved the way it draped over her shoulders when she wore it down, especially after she had it up all day. Like the day she had stopped by his place when Alicia was working on the Wainwright case with him.

_I should have invited her in. What was I thinking?_

Then there was the way she dressed. To Harm, there was nothing that could be done to make a Marine Class A uniform look good, that is, until he met then Major Sarah MacKenzie. It had taken him a while before he could work in the courtroom without being distracted by her. _If she only knew what kind of power she had over me…_

And then there was her civilian attire. Harm was certain that this woman could wear rags and still look good in them, but her taste in clothing was impeccable. Harm couldn't remember any outfit she had worn that he didn't like.

It went without saying that he considered her the most beautiful woman he had ever known. Harm loved every one of her physical attributes, but his very favorite part, was her eyes. Those chocolate brown orbs with the flecks of gold said so much about her, but very few people in her life had been able to read them. _Her feelings were right there all along. Why couldn't I see what was right in front of me?_

From very early on, Harm knew that his partner was a survivor. For some reason, she had opened up to him the very day they had met, something he had never taken lightly. It didn't take him long to find out just how strong she was, and how much she had overcome in her life. Mac was his equal in every way that mattered; she challenged him and in so doing had made him a better person. She had been by his side when most people would have abandoned him to his own devices. She had saved his life more times than he could remember.

As tough as Mac the Marine seemed to be, Sarah, the woman was every bit as fragile. This was the part that she kept hidden away, shown only to a very few people in her life, those whom she allowed to call her Sarah and Harm counted himself fortunate to be one of those select few. Despite being frustrated by it, he understood this aspect of her personality better than most, being the type to keep his own feelings tightly in check.

They had been through some difficult times as well. _You always hurt the one you love,_ Harm thought, and he and Mac had been no exception. His own actions, or, more to the point, inaction had twice, driven her into the arms of another man. What was to him confusion, she took as rejection and abandonment. _God, I never meant to hurt her so._

Harm realized that he had been wounded as well, Sarah freely admitted as much. Seeing the woman he loved making preparations to marry Mic Brumby had tortured his very soul. And when she had told him things would never work between them at the taxi stand in Paraguay, he felt like she had ripped his soul apart, burned it, and then stomped on the ashes. Anything left, was blown away when the Admiral refused to take him back to JAG.

Shocked by the turn of events, Sarah had reached out to him, but hurt, pride, and jealousy of her growing relationship with Clayton Webb, caused him to wall-in his heart, shutting out everyone he cared about.

The next five months proved to be the loneliest time in his life. Despite the new acquaintances, risky missions, and the chance to fly aircraft he had only heard rumors of, Harmon Rabb Jr. had become a shadow of his former self. Only in his dreams, was he able to live the life he truly treasured, being with Mac, working together at JAG, spending time with their Godchildren.

Sarah stirred once more and he forced his thoughts elsewhere. She would know right away that he was having unpleasant thoughts and in his eyes they had both suffered enough.

The cadence of her breathing had changed and he knew she was awake, the gentle circles she began to make on his chest only confirming what he knew.

"Morning," he said, softly.

"Morning, yourself, sailor," she replied. She appeared to be quite comfortable and showed no sign of wanting to move from this spot. "Is the power still out?"

Harm looked over to her cable box and noticed it was still dark.

"Looks like it," he replied.

"Thought so," she offered in a sleepy voice. "I checked it at 04:35. The fire looks like it needs tending to."

"Yeah, I was just waiting for you to wake up." He began to shift as if to climb out of bed when she spoke again.

"Not yet, it 'ill keep for now," she offered. "I just want to lay here with you for a while."

Harm found himself smiling; she was looking for what they had both coined as quiet time. It had started Christmas night. They had spent their first Christmas together, just the two of them. When bedtime came, Mac had asked him to join her as she had been dealing with nightmares and she didn't want to wake up alone. The following morning they had spent nearly an hour after they awoke, just talking about things.

Harm had stayed over after the New Year's Ball and Mac had purposely waited from him to fall asleep before she came to bed. After the electrifying kiss they had shared at midnight, he had suspected that she might want to put some space between them, if only to allow her time to process what had happened. They woke up early New Year's Day. Not having to be at the Roberts until noon, they spent an hour and a half basking in quiet time. They communicated that morning, although most of it was in various non verbal forms. This morning was shaping up to be another non verbal session. As she toyed with the hairs on his chest, he would softly caress her shoulders. Occasionally she would plant a kiss on his chest and he kissed the top of her head. Harm knew she deeply enjoyed this time together and he found that he did as well.

"I don't ever want to lose this, Harm," she said after a while. "I've never had this kind of relationship with a man before, that is, being so close without it having to be about sex." "It's special beyond words," she added, and Harm remembered her saying those exact words early New Year's Day.

"We won't, Sarah," he stated gently, yet with confidence. "I promise."

She reached up and took his lips with her own in a gentle but lingering kiss. "You always keep your promises, flyboy," she said when they separated.

"Yeah, Sarah, I do, especially if I make them to you." It was then that Harm felt her stomach begin to rumble. "I think my Marine is getting hungry."

"I am," she replied. "I just don't want to get up yet."

"You know, MacKenzie, we could get up, eat, tend to the fire, and climb back in here and continue where we left off. After all, we don't have to work today. Who knows, maybe we'll have tomorrow as well."

"I like what I'm hearing," she quipped. "Keep talking, sailor."

"You still have your battery powered radio; we could put on some soft music to set the mood, a perfect way to spend Valentine's Day. Don't you agree?"

"I think that is the best offer I've had all year. I'll get up and tend the fire. In the mean time, you can feed me, flyboy."


	5. Chapter 5 Facing the Music:

**Chapter 5; Facing the Music:**

**13:30Z**

**JAG HQ, Falls Church:**

The storm had stalled off the coast, dumping record snow fall amounts in the greater DC area. Standing at parade rest and looking out his window, Major General Cresswell regarded the snow covered grounds below remembering the last time he had seen so much snow. In 1978, while he was attending the Navy Justice School in Newport Rhode Island, the area had been hit with a surprise Nor'easter, which dumped almost fifty inches of snow on Aquidneck Island where the base was located. The storm had brought the entire New England area to a standstill which had lasted over a week. Of course the timing could not have been any worse as the storm had hit just after the morning commute, stranding workers, college students, and school children on the road as they tried to return home.

By contrast, the Valentine's Day storm, two days ago, had not been as intense and had struck after the commuter hour, allowing the utility workers and road crews to restore power and keep the highways open. Cresswell had ordered a late start the next day in an effort to ease the morning traffic.

The General turned back to his desk and quickly looked at the duty roster for the day. Commander Rabb was due back today after taking his F-18 quals in Norfolk. _Good,_ thought the General, _I have an assignment which is just up his alley._

Cresswell also noticed that he had another attorney scheduled to report today; Lt. Gregory Vukovic. The General had heard good reports about this young man and his work on the _USS Carl Vinson_. _I'll pair him up with Mac,_ he thought. _Vukovic has the makings of a good officer, he just needs some direction and guidance._

The General had brought in another new attorney last month and, at least so far, Lt. Tali Mayfield was working out nicely. Knowing his two senior attorneys were slated to be transferred out before the end of the year, Cresswell needed to shore up his staff with some fresh blood. Sturgis Turner had done an exceptional job as the acting JAG and would make a good Chief of Staff to replace Mac. At Admiral Chegwidden's urging, Cresswell was reconsidering his initial evaluation of Lt. Commander Roberts. The young officer had gotten off to a rocky start with his new CO, but a second look at Robert's service record convinced the General to reevaluate his opinion. After all, any man who fought so hard to stay in the Navy had to be dedicated to his duty.

Rabb and MacKenzie were still something of an enigma to the no nonsense Marine. Together, they formed the best investigative team Cresswell had ever seen and he could see why their former CO was so reluctant to part with them, but keeping them at HQ was hurting their careers. Commander Rabb was up for promotion at the next board and according to the General's own sources, he was a shoe-in for O6. Lt. Colonel MacKenzie wasn't far behind him as the Marine O6 board was slated to meet before summer's end. Like Commander Rabb, her name was also near the top of the promotion list. With the billets they were slated for, they were both well on their way to getting their first star within the next five years. _Assuming that is what they want…_

Cresswell was well aware of the rumors surrounding these two, and to some extent; the rumors were substantiated by his conversation with his predecessor. To their credit, Rabb and MacKenzie had never done anything at the office which in anyway interfered with the good order and discipline of _his_ command. If they were romantically involved, they were being very discreet about it. The first indication that the relationship might be more than platonic was the searing kiss they shared on the dance floor at midnight during the New Year's Eve Ball. It was something that he had witnessed personally. His wife, Dora, ever the romantic, had described it as a fairy tale moment. Even Chegwidden had flashed him a look which said, 'I told you so.' He had obviously been pleased with the turn of events judging by the tone of his voice when he pronounced, _"It's about damn time."_ Rather than jump to conclusions, the General decided to see how the pair would handle things. _As long as they keep things out of the office, I don't care what they do in their spare time._

This happened almost six weeks ago and neither the Commander, nor the Colonel, had given him any hint that the status of their relationship had changed, nor had they given a reason for Creswell to intrude into their personal lives. In that time, the Commander had pulled an investigation at the China Lake Facility and both Rabb and MacKenzie had been sent TAD to the Florida Keys, and Afghanistan. The General had sent Petty Officer Coates along on the Florida assignment mostly to give her some experience but also to serve as a subtle reminder to Harm and Mac that he was keeping a close eye on things.

Cresswell began to wonder if he had read too much into what had happened at the ball. _Maybe they just got caught up in the moment,_ he thought. He was about to dismiss the idea when Colonel MacKenzie asked if she and the Commander could met with him before staff call this morning. Since he had taken command, Colonel MacKenzie had seemed melancholy and somewhat distant from those around her. At first, Cresswell thought it had to do with the incident with Colonel Farrow. He had made a point to clear the air with her, which seemed to help, but there was something else bothering her, he was sure of it. When she reported back for duty two days ago, it was like he was seeing a different person; she was positively glowing. Something had changed in her life for the better and General Cresswell was quite certain he knew what it was.

...

Sitting in the passenger side of Harm's SUV, Mac was lost in her own thoughts, quietly pondering how the last 72 hours had changed her life, and, more important, how they were going to present this to the General.

They had spent most of Valentine's Day cuddled in her sofa bed just watching the fire. _Harm was right,_ she had thought. _This is much better than going to some fancy restaurant and waiting in long lines to be seated._ As a couple, they discussed who they were going to tell about the change in their relationship. They also discussed some plans about the future.

In reality, they had been dating on and off for almost as long as they had known each other, so it was by mutual understanding that there would not be a long courtship. _"We've had nine years,"_ she had said. _"If we don't know each other by now, we never will."_ The baby deal they made almost six years ago was overdue and they both wanted to change that either by the creation of a life through their natural expression of love, or by giving Mother Nature a little help. Surrogacy and adoption were options they would save for later, if needed. _"What's important is, it happens between us,"_ Harm had told her the night of the Admiral's Dining Out. _"I'm tired of looking in on your life, Mac. I want to be a part of it."_ It was the closest he had ever come to expressing his love and for that reason alone, she had almost relented. _Almost._ Not for the first time, she wondered if she should have just thrown caution to the wind that night and said yes.

Whatever doubts she had back then, they were all but gone now. By unspoken agreement, she knew they would be married before the end of the summer. Wanting to be surprised, Mac purposely avoided the subject of engagement. _He'll ask me when the time is right._ For now, she was content to just enjoy being in love.

The power at her apartment had not been restored until early evening and despite the fact that the General had called a late start, Harm had to be in Norfolk by 09:00 to complete his F-18 quals. The roads were still a mess and even though Mac loved her Vette, times like this made her miss the Jeep. Since he was going to be staying on base, Harm offered to let her use his SUV.

_"Just how are you going to get down there, flyboy, sprout wings?"_ she asked.

_"I can catch the 06:00 shuttle bus,"_ he replied. _"I'll grab a cab to the base once I get to Norfolk."_

_"You're assuming that the bus is running on time, if at all. Why don't we drive down together and I'll drive back?"_

_"Mac, that's six hours behind the wheel. You'll be exhausted by the time you get back to JAG."_

_"It's not that bad, Harm. We'll just get to bed early and set the alarm for 03:30. That gives us an hour to get ready and be on the road before five. You can drive on the way down and if we get there early enough we can have a quick breakfast together before I head back. I don't have to report until noon."_

As her plan gave them some extra time together, Harm quickly agreed. Halfway to Norfolk they noticed that the snow accumulation was dropping off sharply. By the time they reached Norfolk, the pavement was clear as the storm had only brought rain. They arrived in time to have a quick cup of coffee together before she had to leave. With both of them in uniform, their goodbyes were expressed to each other in the car.

On the way back, it suddenly hit her that she wasn't going to see him for a couple days, something she had faced endless times before. Somehow, this was different. For the first time, the love she felt for him was being returned in equal measure and she was totally unprepared for the experience. It made her heart ache, but it was a happy ache as she knew better things were on the horizon.

The sight of her driving in with the Commander's SUV had raised a few eyebrows at HQ, but none that she couldn't handle. Bud and Sturgis would never say anything openly, although she was sure that Harriet would find out as soon as Bud had a chance to speak to her. Jen, on the other hand, had no qualms about being forward. While this trait could get her into trouble sometimes, it was one of the things Mac liked about the young woman. You always knew where you stood with Petty Officer Coates. _It's too bad Gunny isn't here anymore._ Mac secretly believed the two of them would be an ideal match as the serious all the time Victor Galindez needed a strong woman with a sense of humor.

Mac had successfully deflected Jen's inquiries and Harm had already given his blessings about telling Harriet and Bud when Mac went to visit that evening. _"It will keep your mind off the fact that we are apart,"_ he quipped, jokingly.

_"What about keeping your mind occupied flyboy?"_

_"With any luck I'll be ready for sleep soon after dinner. I'll see you in my dreams."_

It was the same comment that almost made her come unglued after the Ball. This time there was nothing to stop her and she had kissed him senseless.

When Mac had arrived at the Robert's, Harriet knew almost immediately what she was about to be told and she squealed with delight. _"I can't believe that the two of you finally got together,"_ she gushed out. Of course Harriet had wanted to know every last detail, including the juicy stuff and while Mac was willing to engage in some 'girl talk' there were things that she wanted to keep private and just between her and Harm.

_"You were glowing all day, ma'am,"_ Bud had said, still uncomfortable about dropping the formality. _"I knew something good had happened, but I really had no idea."_

_"Me driving the Commander's vehicle didn't give you a clue, Bud?"_

_"No ma'am. I assumed there was a logical reason…"_

_"Men can be so dense sometimes,"_ Harriet interrupted, teasing her husband. _"Sometimes they have no sense of romance."_

Mac thought about Bud's comment and she really did feel like she was glowing. In her mind she was dancing on the edge of forever with the man she truly loved and she just couldn't get her feet to touch the ground. Suddenly, she knew just what Harriet had meant all those years ago.

_"I finally understand, Harriet,"_ she began. _"When you said to me, 'it helps if you're sure' I get it now."_

_"It feels good, doesn't it, ma'am?"_

_"Yeah, it does."_

Mac knew that she and Harm could have been in this place much sooner had it not been for Paraguay, and the aftermath. _Paraguay,_ she said in her mind._ I haven't even thought about it for two days, except for the nightmares._ Remembering everything that had happened, and the hell she went through, not to mention, the hell she put Harm through threatened to steal her joy. She knew that they were both going to have to deal with it at some point.

"You're awful quiet over there," said Harm, drawing her back to the present. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Mac reached across the console and took his hand. "Just thinking about some things," she replied. "Harm, you know me better than anyone, better than my parents did, better than any of my other friends, better than Chris, better than Eddie…even better than my Uncle Matt. You've seen the train wreck that is my life, hell, you've been hit by it more than once and you're still here."

"I told you I'd always be there, Sarah," he said. "I keep my promises."

"I know you do," she said, reluctant to continue, yet knowing she needed to. "And I'm going to ask you to make me another one…and…you're not going to like it."

"Mac, this isn't about Paraguay, is it?" His voice was neutral, but Mac could hear the strain in it.

"I know you don't like to bring it up, but I can't get past the bad dreams."

"You had another one while I was away," he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, I did."

Harm was silent for a few moments. "What do you need me to do?" he finally asked.

"Commander McCool has an idea which she thinks will work, but it will involve several sessions with both of us…and she'll have to see you alone first…"

"Mac, most of what happened down there is classified. We can't talk about it."

"I know, Harm, just hear me out, okay?" She was struggling to keep from raising her voice.

"Okay."

"Vicky has filed paperwork with the CIA asking for a special medical clearance so she can treat me. Apparently she already holds a Top Secret clearance because of her work with submariners. I won't be able to tell her names and specific places but I will be able to discuss the events in general."

She paused a moment to collect herself. She was getting upset and she didn't want to be upset with him.

"Harm, something happened to me down there. I lost…a piece of myself somehow. When that bastard Sadik was taking me to the shack…he made me watch him kill those two missionaries in cold blood. I started to shut down…not knowing what I was going to face when they strapped me down. I expected…to be raped…before they tortured me…and I…" She was unable to finish her thoughts and she used every ounce of self control she had to push down her emotions. By the time Harm had pulled into the parking lot, she had almost recovered.

"Looks like the General is already here," she quipped, her voice still colored with emotion.

Harm put the vehicle in park and turned to face her. "Sarah, you know I will do anything I can to help…but this…hell…I still have trouble telling you how I feel about things and I've told you things that I've never told another soul. It's not that I don't want to…it's…I don't know if I can."

_He's not saying no,_ she thought. "Promise me you'll try, Harm. That's all I ask."

"That, I can promise," he said.

"Thank you."

...

A tap on the door drew his attention and Cresswell looked up and saw his two senior attorneys waiting to enter.

"Colonel, Commander, come on in, and close the hatch behind you."

"Have a seat," he added, just as the pair came to attention in front of his desk.

"So, what is it that the two of you need to see me about? Are you leaving the service to open a civilian law firm?" he quipped, deadpan.

Cresswell's sense of humor was on the dry side and he watched carefully to see if they followed. _Here it comes,_ he thought, watching the nonverbal communication between them.

"Not exactly, sir," Rabb replied, speaking for both of them. "Colonel MacKenzie and I have worked together for nine years, and in that time we've become very close friends. I've lost count of the number of times we've saved each other's six."

"Go on, Commander," prodded the General.

"Yes, sir. Some time ago, Mac…err…Colonel MacKenzie and I realized what we have is more than friendship, but we didn't act on it until two nights ago."

"I see," replied Cresswell, keeping a poker face. "I'm assuming that the relationship between the two of you has evolved into a romantic one. Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," Harm and Mac both said, nodding their affirmation.

"Just how serious is this? Are we talking going out for pizza, or is this heading for the altar?"

"The latter, sir," replied Mac. "Har…the Commander and I are talking about marriage, having a family."

Cresswell noticed the absence of a ring on her left hand. "I take it that this isn't official, yet."

"Not yet, sir," offered Harm.

The General looked at Mac, "Colonel, do you think that your relationship with the Commander, as it stands today, will affect the good order and discipline of my command?"

"No, sir, not at all."

"Good! See that it doesn't."

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.

"Commander Rabb, as of today, you will report directly to me, however, I expect you to cooperate with Colonel MacKenzie by providing her whatever she needs to fulfill her duties as Chief of Staff. Do either of you have a problem with that?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I expect that you will notify me in any change of your status so we can address any chain of command issues."

"Of course, sir."

"I'm glad the two of you trusted me with this, and congratulations. I think my predecessor would have said 'it's about damn time'."

"He probably would, sir," said Harm.

"Since the two of you are already here, I'll get down to business. Colonel MacKenzie, I have a new lawyer starting today, Lt. Gregory Vukovic. He's got good FITREPS from his last assignment and I'm going to keep him here at HQ for a while. I'd like you to bring him along, he's young and he could use some guidance."

"Yes, sir."

"The two of you will be defending Gunnery Sergeant Genuzzi, who has been accused of theft of a civilian vehicle. Mayfield will be trial council. We need to proceed carefully with this one Colonel. The vehicle was allegedly stolen from the son of a tribal leader, Sheik Suhaib al-Hassan. State will be watching very closely."

"Yes, sir," replied Mac.

"Commander Rabb, I hope you have a sea bag packed. You're heading to the Arabian Sea to conduct a JAGMAN investigation aboard the _USS John F. Kennedy_. An Iraqi fishing boat got too close to one of the oil platforms and one of our helo pilots shot the boat up pretty good. We need to find out if the pilot's actions were justified. And while you're out there, assuming they are foolish enough to lend you an aircraft, you can finish your carrier quals.

"Yes, sir," Harm offered.

"That will be all."

Rabb and MacKenzie stood and came to attention.

"Aye aye, sir."

As they turned to leave, Cresswell called out, "Commander Rabb, a moment, if you will."

When they were alone, the General turned to Rabb.

"Commander, as you are probably aware, Marines take care of their own you do understand that, right?"

"Yes, sir." From the look on his face, Cresswell knew he had Rabb confused.

"Now, I'm quite sure that Colonel MacKenzie is more than capable of handling herself but I trust that you will watch out for her six."

"I always have, sir."

_I'll bet you have, Commander._ "I shouldn't…no…I know I don't have to say this, but, I'm going to say it anyway. As I stated before, Marines take care of their own, and if I ever heard one of my Marines was not being treated the way she should be treated, I would consider that an insult to the Corps, and as a result, I would take it very personally. Are we clear on that, Commander?"

"As a bell, sir."

"I thought you would understand. That will be all."

"Aye aye, sir."

Just before Rabb left, the General spoke again, "Oh, Commander Rabb?"

"Sir?"

"Good luck on your carrier quals."

"Thank you, sir."

After he left, Cresswell smiled to himself having enjoyed twisting Rabb's tail.


	6. Chapter 6 Separation:

**Chapter 6; Separation:**

**14:30Z**

**Harm's office, JAG HQ, Falls Church VA:**

_Well that went better than expected,_ thought Harm, pondering the meeting with the General, as he walked back into his office carrying his blues. Seeing the trip was going to be military transport, he had changed into his khakis. As he hung up his blues, Harm heard a rap on the door.

"Enter," he said, before turning to see who was there. When he heard his door close, he turned in time to see Mac closing the shades as well.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Marine," he quipped, giving her his trademark megawatt smile. "People might begin to talk."

"Let them," replied Mac, smiling as well, although the smile never reached her eyes. "I don't want the bullpen seeing me say good bye to my significant other."

"Significant other," he said, wrapping her in his arms. "I like the sound of that."

He held her close for a few moments before drawing apart so he could look in her eyes. The smile was gone now and her chocolate orbs glisten with moisture.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"I thought it would be easier saying goodbye, knowing that when you come home, you're coming home to me, but this just makes it so much harder…"

"Not goodbye, Mac, never goodbye," he replied, "`til we see each other again."

"I know, it's just…our timing is just awful. There's so much we need to talk about and we can't do that if you're half a world away."

"It's only four or five days, Mac. Today is Friday…I'll be on the _JFK_ by early Saturday morning. Figure a day or two for the investigation…another day for my quals…I should be back by late Wednesday or Thursday. At least I can kill two birds with one stone," he said, in a consoling tone. "I'm going to miss you too, Sarah. You're not alone."

"I know, Harm," she said, breaking away from him and walking towards the window. "I'll be fine, just…promise me you'll be careful."

"I always am, Mac." _And I've got a very good reason to be,_ he thought.

"I bumped into the new attorney this morning," she said, turning around to face him. "Actually, he bumped into me."

"Oh?"

"There's something about this guy, Harm, I don't like him, and it's not like me to instantly dislike someone," she said, pensively. "When he looked at me, he made my skin crawl."

"Did he do anything inappropriate, Mac?"

"He's still alive, isn't he?" she quipped. "No, he didn't do anything overt; it's just a feeling, like…he was…undressing me in his mind."

She must have seen him go into protective mode as she immediately added, "Don't worry, Harm. If he steps out of line one iota, in that respect, he'll curse the day he ever met me. Lt. Vukovic will think he's a seaman recruit again."

"You gonna to feed his ass to the crabs," remarked Harm, still remembering the time she dressed down three enlisted men on the _Watertown_. While he felt sorry for the three men, he had dearly enjoyed the show. _She's beautiful when she's angry._

"Cute, sailor," she responded, a slight quirky grin coming to her lips. "He pulls that crap with me; there won't be anything left to feed the crabs."

Sexual harassment had always been a hot button item with her, along with abusive men, and anyone who was accused of putting a child at risk. The normally dispassionate Sarah MacKenzie turned into a stalking tiger when she was prosecuting anyone accused of these actions. Defending someone under these circumstances had always been her Achilles' heel.

"Other than your intuition, what do you think about him?"

"He's self centered, pushy, arrogant, cocky, and full of himself. He'd make a good aviator," she quipped, punctuating her statement with a grin.

"Who's being cute now, Marine?" he countered.

She tweaked his nose and kissed him. "When do you have to leave for the airport?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Within the hour," he replied. "Petty Officer Wilson is driving me to Andrews in a few minutes. You have my spare keys?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Why don't you drive the SUV this week, at least until they get the side roads cleared up? It's safer than either one of our Vettes." While the main roads had been cleared, after the Valentine's Day Blizzard, many of the side streets were still snow covered and impassable without a four wheel drive vehicle. Harm expected her to refuse, but her response surprised him.

"Yeah, maybe I will. Thanks." She must have read the look on his face as she added, "Vicky said I need to let you take care of me more often."

"That sounds like good advice, I'm beginning to like her a lot more," he said, looking at his watch. "I need to get moving or I'm going to miss my plane." He opened his arms and she embraced him once again. "Mac, let's see if we can get a long weekend scheduled for next week. We can fly 'Sarah' down to my parent's place in Myrtle Beach. What do you say?"

"You don't think it will be too cold?"

"We'll have to bundle up for the first leg of the trip but after that, it shouldn't be too bad. Of course we won't be doing any swimming this time of year, but it's still much warmer than it is here. The beach cottage sits up on a bluff overlooking the ocean; it has a fireplace, a porch facing seaward. I haven't been there in a few years."

"As long as you remember to check the fuel line, flyboy," she said.

"I carry a spare in my emergency kit now," Harm offered, remembering the first time he had taken Mac flying. The incident had almost cost both of them their lives and it was quite a while before she accepted his offer to fly again.

This chain of thinking led him to the last time he had visited his parent's beach house. The day after Mac's engagement party he needed time to think, as the woman he was secretly in love with was about to marry another man, and his own girlfriend was smothering him with affection that he couldn't return. The Myrtle Beach property had always been a place of retreat for Harm and he had never brought anyone there whom he had been involved with. It was a place he went when he needed to be alone with his own thoughts.

Because of that, the place held special meaning and he was about to share it with the woman who had stolen his heart.

"You had better get going, Harm," she said, her voice bringing him back to the present.

"I know," he said, not wanting to let go, but knowing he needed to. "Love you, Sarah. See you in my dreams."

"Love you too, Harm, stay safe."

...

Even as a teenager, Gregory Vukovic was a man who was used to having women fawn over him, a trait which seemed, at least to him, to follow him through his transition into manhood. By his own reckoning, members of the opposite sex who were resistant to his appearance could be swayed with few carefully chosen words. Some were more difficult than others, but in the end, he decided, he would prevail in winning their affection, if he so chose. He had met just such a woman this morning when he bumped into the beautiful Marine Corps, Lieutenant Colonel.

It wasn't often that the smooth talking Vukovic would stumble over his words but that is precisely what had happened this morning. As he retrieved the documents he had knocked out of her hands he admired her shapely legs as he slowly rose from the floor. This woman was tall, but very well proportioned with an olive tone skin tone and a pair of chocolate brown eyes which would reduce most men to a puddle of goo. Of course Greg wasn't most men, and he recovered quickly.

While her smile, after exchanging pleasantries, was sincere enough, it never extended to her eyes, which told Vukovic that this woman considered him nothing more than a subordinate at best, and a nuisance at worst. _A challenge,_ he thought to himself, _the greater the risk, the more satisfying the reward._ In this aspect Gregory Vukovic was a patient man.

Even though she looked much younger than someone of her rank, Greg assumed she had at least five years on him not that it would be a problem. He had dated women ten years his senior. He had also been involved with senior officers in the past, and even though this had an element of risk, that risk was often incumbent on the senior officer.

After meeting with their client, Colonel MacKenzie had him sitting in the bullpen tracing down a few leads while she made a bee line for the angled office belonging to the tall dark-haired former aviator. At first, he didn't think much of it until they disappeared behind the door and drew the blinds. Ten minutes later they both emerged from the office and made their way to the exit. To him, it was very obvious that there was more here than friendship. _Meet your competition, Greg._ A short time later, the Colonel returned to her own office and closed the door. The expression on her face was one of wistful sadness.

He soon found out that Commander Rabb, the tall aviator, was on his way to the Arabian Sea and would be away for almost a week. _Good,_ he thought. _A chance to have lunch with the Colonel, on the pretense of getting better acquainted with my partner, without any outside interference._ If there was something between them, he would find out soon enough. Office romances seldom lasted long and he would simply bide his time.

Greg considered the rest of the senior staff, beginning with his new CO. He knew Cresswell to be a tough demanding boss and as the first Marine Judge Advocate General since Colonel William Butler Remey, Cresswell would be looking to make a name for himself, at least that is what he would do in the General's shoes. So far, his CO seemed to be impressed with his record, so all he had to do was win a few big cases and stay out of any controversy, which meant that his extracurricular activities needed to be planned with extreme care.

Commander Sturgis Turner struck him as a marionette with a stick up his six, much too stiff and unyielding for his liking. _Best to give him a wide berth,_ he thought. Lt. Commander Roberts, however, seemed to be very affable and approachable, not to mention being a bit unsure of himself. _A senior officer who can possibly be a friend, or at least be manipulated,_ reasoned the Lieutenant.

He knew Lt. Tali Mayfield all too well. They had a relationship about a year before he was stationed aboard the _Carl Vinson_. To him, their time together was nothing more than a casual fling while she had obviously thought it was something much more serious. The relationship ended poorly and there still was bad blood between them. He never expected them to be stationed together again. _This could be a problem requiring damage control._

The other woman in the office, who drew his eye, was the General's yeoman, Petty Officer First Class Jennifer Coates. As she was enlisted personnel, he would have to be very careful if he chose to pursue anything with her. _She's not as enticing as the Colonel, but she is certainly nothing to sneeze at._

By the end of the day, Greg had completed the assignment the Colonel had given him and she seemed to be genuinely pleased with his work, despite the negative vibes he was sensing from her. In the parking lot, he noticed that her spot was empty and she was driving the Lexus SUV which was parked in Commander Rabb's place. On the back of the vehicle was a Go Navy bumper sticker, which he knew would be heretical to any self respecting Marine. This had to be Rabb's vehicle. _So there is something between them. This could be useful._

On the drive home, Greg was thinking that this new assignment was going to work out quite nicely, professionally and personally.

...

**07:00Z**

**Mac's Apartment, Georgetown:**

Mac had gone to bed early, in the hopes of getting a few hours sleep before the Commander called to let her know he had arrived. By midnight, she had given up on sleep and dragged herself out into the living room. With a cup of chamomile tea, she tried to lose herself in her latest Clancy novel. That was two hours ago.

After she had read the same paragraph three times she put the book aside and switched on the TV. With the volume at minimum, she absently surfed through the channels hoping something would catch her eye enough to distract her for a while.

She had approached the General towards the end of the day about scheduling some leave time so she and Harm could have a long weekend together. To her surprise, Cresswell gave them both next Friday, and the following Monday, making for a four day weekend. The only caveat was she would be required to attend the JAG conference starting on Tuesday and she would have to fly out Monday night. Harm didn't know it yet, but Cresswell was making him acting JAG while they were away.

The other downside was, having to put up with JAG's newest Lieutenant. Not for the first time, Mac wondered if she was misjudging the young man. General Cresswell seemed to believe that Vukovic and Harm were a lot alike and that the Commander was just more seasoned. Mac didn't agree at all; she knew Harm when he was younger and while she agreed that age and experience had changed him for the better, she never saw him as reckless and self centered. She knew first hand just how selfless the Commander was.

_Hell, I was a lot younger too,_ she thought. _Maybe Harm was more cocky and arrogant than I could see…but he was never self-centered._

Mac knew she was going to have to make a conscious decision to cut Vukovic some slack, at least for now, as if she were to act on her intuition, she would toss him to the sharks. It was obvious to her that Vukovic and Mayfield had a past by the way they greeted each other this morning, maybe the truth will out itself if she is patient.

It wasn't long before her thoughts were focused back on a certain Navy Commander, the man who now held her heart._ Hell, he's held my heart from the day I met him._ Being able to admit her feelings had come as a shock, almost as much as hearing Harm admit his own. She was grateful that they had come to this decision now rather than later as she knew there were changes coming soon. She didn't know all the details but Cresswell's reputation of shaking things up was legendary. Lt. Commander Mattoni had already been rotated out, soon after Cresswell had taken the helm and Mac was sure that she and Harm were going to be next.

Sarah knew that she shouldn't be surprised; had they been working for anyone other than AJ Chegwidden, this would have happened years ago. _Maybe it would have forced us to do something_, she thought. The truth was, she liked where she was and, to the best of her knowledge, so did Harm. In a way, Admiral Chegwidden had scuttled his own career by keeping his staff stagnant and passing on a billet which would have paved the way for him to be the next CNO. Harm had told her that the Admiral had his eye on the top flag position when he came to JAG. That was before they all became a family.

_My family is coming apart,_ she though, a sob escaping from her throat as she fought back the tears. It had started before Paraguay, when Commander Lindsey murdered Lt. Loren Singer and even though she wasn't well liked, Mac still considered the woman part of their extended family. Then came the mess in South America; Paraguay. She hated even mentioning the name of the country, when Harm was forced to take a six month hiatus; brought back only because Carolyn Imes had never passed the Bar and was subsequently dismissed.

Admiral Chegwidden was never the same after that, not to mention the hell he must have gone through when his engagement fell apart. Nobody knew for certain, but she and Harm suspected infidelity on the part of Meredith. Six weeks later, he announced his retirement.

Loss of family wasn't confined to people just leaving. When Sturgis was appointed as acting JAG after Chegwidden's retirement, relations between him and Harm were stretched thin. Mac also found her own interaction with the inflexible submariner to be showing signs of stress. While they had never been particularly close, she felt that she could at least talk to the man. _Not anymore._

Then there was the General himself. Mac knew he was a good leader and she was certain that he would go to the wall for anyone of his people, just like Chegwidden used to do, but that is where the similarity ended. Some things had changed forever as the CIA no longer came to JAG looking for her or Harm or someone else to use as cannon fodder in one of their lame brained black-ops. Mac would bet her life that Cresswell had put an abrupt end to that.

To Gordon Cresswell, this was a command, not a family. They would work together and watch each other's backs, but the faces and names were going to change and no one would be allowed to get too comfortable or complacent. For Sarah, and those like her, this was heartbreaking. For almost nine years, JAG was the only family she really had.

Mac realized that her real family was, and always had been Harm, Mattie, Harriet, Bud, their Godchildren, her Uncle Matt, Harm's parents and his grandmother Sarah. She could live without JAG, she could even live without being a Marine, but she couldn't live without Harm and their family.

Sarah was tired and she found herself nodding off so she grabbed an afghan from her linen closet and laid herself down on the couch. _Maybe I can catch a catnap before he calls…_

When the phone finally rang, Mac had been dozing and she grabbed it before the second ring.

"MacKenzie."

"Hey, sweetheart," said her flyboy. "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

"Hey, yourself," she replied, in a low voice. "I couldn't sleep until I heard from you…been dozing on the couch."

"I landed about forty minutes ago," said Harm. "I managed to get some sleep on the way out. Captain Abraham allowed me to call home before I get moving on the investigation. I'm glad I did."

"Me too. I miss you already."

"I miss you too, Sarah. How was the rest of your day?"

"It was okay, I suppose. I gave Vukovic some things to keep him busy and out of my hair this afternoon. He surprised me by getting it done without complaining. It was all grunt work which I could have handed off to one of the clerks, but I didn't want him underfoot all afternoon."

"Well, if he did what he was told, that's a good sign, right?"

"I still don't trust him, Harm. Two hours before we secured, I called him into my office to go over our strategy. He offered a few good ideas, nothing that I couldn't get from any first year law student. This guy has been an attorney almost as long as Bud, and to be honest, Bud had more potential after the first year than this guy does now."

"Remember, Sarah," Harm offered. "Bud had the advantage of being mentored by the finest attorney I know. If Vukovic had worked with you as long as Bud has, I'm sure he'd rate much higher than he does now."

"Don't sell yourself short, flyboy," she replied. "You had as much a hand in his career as I have."

"The point is, Vukovic could learn a lot if he's smart enough to pay attention. Whatever happens is up to him."

"I suppose you're right," she said, yawning at the same time.

"You sound tired, Sarah. I should let you get some rest. I'll try to call later on today."

"`Kay, I'll call your mother later and let her know you arrived safe. Love you.

"Love you too, Sarah."

Mac hung up the phone and rested it on the coffee table. She leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment and was sound asleep less than a minute later.


	7. Chapter 7 Dark Menace:

**A/N: **You didn't think this was going to be all fuff, did you? *grin*

* * *

**Chapter 7; Dark Menace:**

**Monday 08:13 ZULU**

**Near the Natanz FEP (Fuel Enrichment Plant), Natanz County, Isfahan Province, Iran:**

Inside, the modern facility looked like any other hi-tech office building in the western world, except for the lack of windows. As the top of the complex was fifty feet below ground level, the view outside would leave much to be desired. It was in this facility, where Al-Qaeda would develop and plan its most devastating attack on the western world. A plan which would make 9-11 look like a Saturday night mugging.

In one of the offices, one man looked over his latest acquisition to be used in the war against the infidels, a war which cost the life of someone very close to him. Obtaining a PAL (Permissive Action Link) had been the lynchpin in the plan Sayyid and his departed brother had conceived to bring the west to its knees. But thanks to the CIA, and a certain female Marine, his brother Sadik would not live to see the fruition of their plans.

Sayyid Fahd was obsessed with two missions in life, the destruction of the American seat of power, and exacting vengeance on the one responsible for his brother's death.

Fahd set aside the documentation on the PAL, and thumbed through the latest intelligence reports on the whereabouts and associations of his quarry. Behind him, a collage of photographs was tacked to a corkboard. In each picture, the dark haired American military officer was seen along with one of her known associates. _Killing her isn't nearly enough,_ Sayyid thought to himself. _I want her to know the pain of losing someone close._

For a while, Fahd assumed that a CIA agent by the name of Clayton Webb was the person whose death would cause her the most pain. In a joint venture with the al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, better known in the west as the Abu-Sayyaf Network, they hired a rouge British agent by the name of Simon Tanveer to end the life of Webb in front of his then girlfriend, Sarah MacKenzie whose life would have been taken very soon after. But the plan had been thwarted forces unknown and it was learned that Tanveer himself had been killed.

For Sayyid, this was just as well as he leaned through his vast network of intelligence sources that Webb and MacKenzie were not nearly as close as he had been led to believe. While her friends were not plentiful, the Marine Lt. Colonel did have very close ties with another family of naval officers and their four children. She also kept in touch with her former commanding officer, ironically, the same man who defended Mustafa Atef, Retired Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, the former US Navy Judge Advocate General.

But the one man who seemed to be with her more than anyone else, was her longtime colleague, a Navy Commander by the name of Harmon Rabb Jr. Through his brother, he had learned that the tall former aviator had traveled to Paraguay on his own to find MacKenzie. One of the last things his brother had done was rigged the battery in Rabb's vehicle to explode thus taking him out of the picture so he could pursue Sarah.

Sayyid had warned his twin of the foolishness of his quest to lure the western raised woman back to the truths of Islam. "_While her heart may still hold some of the ancient ways, she is too far gone for you to reach, my brother,"_ he had said. But his brother had become fixated on bringing her back to the path, a fixation which cost him his life. _A life I will avenge._

...

**Tuesday 18:00 ZULU**

**JAG HQ, Falls Church, VA**

Commander Turner was gathering his paperwork together when a knock on the door drew his attention.

"Colonel," he said, as he snapped the clasps to his briefcase shut. "I take it you heard the news?"

"Yeah, I did," she replied. "Leave it to Harm to find his way into trouble by just completing his quals."

Sturgis only nodded. After three years he still found talking to her difficult, something which had only gotten worse since his stint as acting JAG. Mac had become more distant, not just to him, but to everyone in the office, even Harm. Like everyone else at JAG, he was befuddled by the multifaceted relationship which the Colonel and the Commander maintained. Soon after they had met, Mac had revealed something to him purely by accident.

_"Why don't the two of you just move on?" _he had asked.

_"Because it won't work"_

_"Why?"_

_"Because, I'm in love with him,"_ she had said, just as if she were placing an order.

Mac had sworn him to secrecy; that is not to tell a soul, anyone. _Especially Harm._ To his credit, he had never broken her confidence, but he still couldn't help but wonder if she still harbored those same feelings. A lot had happened between them over the past year and a half. It wasn't until he looked up again that he saw genuine worry in her eyes. He stopped what he was doing and gave her his full attention.

"Mac, what's on your mind?" he asked.

"The General had me read the preliminary report, Sturgis. I'm worried about what's going to happen to Harm."

"If he followed procedure, he'll be fine, Mac," replied the former submariner. "If he didn't…he's probably facing an Article 32."

"Sturgis, you know Harm," she said, almost pleading. "He wouldn't have fired unless there was a good reason…"

"I know that, Mac."

Turner paused for a moment to form his thoughts. _She is concerned, and not just as a friend._

"Look," he began. "We don't know what happened, yet. Let's get the facts sorted out and we'll see where the chips fall. If Harm followed procedure, he asked permission before he engaged the target and he'll be off the hook."

"I suppose you're right," she surrendered. "I'm sorry; I've got too much on my mind right now."

"How's the new guy, Lt. Vukovic, is it? How's he working out?" asked Sturgis, redirecting the conversation.

"He's part of the problem. I caught him brokering a plea bargain with Lt. Mayfield today. He's sitting second chair and he goes off and pulls this without even asking me. Even as first chair, I wouldn't broker a plea deal without conferring with my co-counsel," she offered. "It's common courtesy."

"He lets his enthusiasm get away from him; sounds to me like he needs a short lease."

"That's just the point, Sturgis; he made it through OCS, law school, and served eighteen months on the _Carl Vinson_ and he doesn't know a damn thing about the chain of command. Vukovic seems to think this is all a big joke."

"You don't particularly like him, do you?" he asked suddenly. He could see that his question had set her back and she took a moment to recover.

"No, she said, after a pause. "I don't, and I took an instant dislike to him which is why I'm questioning myself. Is it just me?"

Turner reached for his jacket and cover.

"If you have the courage to ask yourself that question, you don't need me to give you the answer. Tell you what, Mac," he said as they walked towards the elevator. "I'll try to spend some time with him after I get back from the _JFK_. Maybe I can give you a fresh perspective."

"Thanks," she said. "When you see Harm, tell him I said hello."

"Sure thing, Mac, see you in a few days."

When she had mentioned Harm, her whole face had lit up and Turner took notice. _Something has changed between those two._

...

**23:12 ZULU**

**Mac's Apartment, Georgetown:**

Mac had just finished eating when her phone rang.

"MacKenzie."

"Hey, ninja girl."

"Hey yourself, flyboy," she replied. Her spirits were immediately raised when she heard his voice.

"I heard that you like to go busting up the china," she quipped. "How is it that trouble always finds you anytime you fly?"

"Bad news certainly travels fast," he replied. "I don't suppose there is any chance that the General is sending you out?"

Mac smiled at that but they both knew better. "Not a chance in hell, sailor, the General still has me on babysitting duty."

"Uh…oh, Vukovic turning out to be more than you can handle?"

"I haven't killed him yet, if that's what you're asking. But never mind him, tell me what happened."

"I was halfway through my traps when the CAG sent me to intercept an unidentified aircraft which had penetrated the no-fly zone surrounding the oil rig. It turned out to be a single engine Cessna on autopilot. At first the pilot and passenger appeared to be unconscious, so I flew in front of them trying to get their attention. When that didn't work, I tried to lift their wings…"

"I remember the last time you tried that," Mac said, interrupting.

"Yeah, well this time it didn't work. The plane snapped back on course. They were about ten seconds out when I noticed the pilot's lips moving."

"He was praying," said Mac, a statement rather than a question.

"That would be my guess. I had about five seconds left so I got in behind him and unloaded my 20mm on him. There wasn't much left when I finished."

"Harm, did you call for weapons free?"

"There wasn't time. The aircraft would have hit the platform. I didn't find out there was an Iraqi dignitary on the aircraft until after I landed and Captain Abraham relieved me of duty."

Mac was worried. While she knew Harm had probably done the right thing, the fact that he didn't request permission to fire would almost certainly put him before an Article 32.

"You're probably going to face a hearing…"

"Mac, I didn't have any choice. If the aircraft had hit the platform…"

"I know, and I agree with you, Harm. Look, Sturgis is coming out there, and you know how he is about protocol. To be honest, I'm glad the General didn't send me. Based on what you've told me I'd have no choice but to recommend a hearing. Are you sure you didn't leave out any mitigating circumstances?"

"The CIC gang never received a flight plan from the Iraqis. They gave some bull shit story about communications problems."

"Well, that's something we can use at the hearing," she remarked.

"We?"

"Yeah, flyboy, we," she said adamantly. "Don't even think about facing this alone. As far as I'm concerned anything we discussed tonight is attorney/client privilege. I'm going to defend you, if it comes to that."

"If Cresswell lets you," said Harm.

"He already agreed, albeit reluctantly. This will be two you owe me, flyboy."

"You have any ideas on how I might repay you," he asked, suggestively.

_Yeah, let me have my way with you when I see you next,_ she thought. "I'm sure I can come up with something."

"There goes our weekend getaway…"

"It's okay, Harm," she said. "There'll be other weekends, let's just get through this, deal?"

"It's a deal, ninja girl."

...

**Wednesday 23:05 ZULU**

**JAG HQ, Falls Church, VA:**

"You pull a stunt like that again, Lieutenant, I'll have you up in front of the rules council. I may do that anyway. That will be all."

Mac watched as Lt. Vukovic turned to leave. He stopped suddenly and turned to face her.

"Do you want to know why you won't have me in front of the rules council, ma'am? Because you like what I did."

"Don't bet your career on it, Lieutenant."

He turned and left her office. Mac stood there for a moment trying to calm herself. She hadn't been this angry in a long time. Mac wasn't sure what pissed her off more, that fact that he pulled an unethical stunt like that, or that he seemed to be pulling the wool over Creswell's eyes.

Once she had stopped seeing red, she sat down and pulled the Lieutenant's personnel jacket out. _I sure this guy has pulled something like this before; I just have to find it._ Mac knew he had served with Mayfield before but she didn't want to drag her into this until she had some more evidence. If she went to the General now, Vukovic might get off with just a reprimand and right now, Mac was after his ass.

Mac scanned through the computer records looking for anything that might stick out in his career, but most of what he had worked on was routine. _There was the case that impressed the General,_ she thought. She pulled up the computer file on the case but the information was nothing more than a summery and disposition. Mac would have to go to the original records to learn anything of value.

She decided that she would look tomorrow as she had several file to drop off anyway. Besides, Harm was due back from the carrier tomorrow evening and they were going to drive to Blacksburg so they could take off early Friday morning. Mattie and Tom had invited them to stay at the house and have breakfast before they flew to Myrtle Beach.

Sarah had been so relieved when Harm called earlier to give her the good news. The Iraqi dignitary who was supposed to have been in the plane had been found murdered. Jordanian terrorists had hoped to use the flight to destroy the oil rig. Now, instead of facing an Article 32, it looked like Harm just might be up for his third DFC. She couldn't help but be extremely proud of him as his accomplishments as a part time aviator rivaled most full time pilots. _He would have had his second Silver Star had it not been for having to resign his commission…_

Sarah forced her thoughts elsewhere. Thinking about the upcoming weekend had cooled her temper and she didn't want to spoil her mood by dredging up bad memories. She closed her briefcase and secured for the evening. The General had announced that the JAG conference slated for next week had been rescheduled for the following Monday which meant she didn't have to catch a flight as soon as she returned from leave.

As she was about to enter the elevator, PO Coates intercepted her.

"Ma'am, the General wants to see you right away."

_Damn, so much for getting away clean,_ she thought. "Thanks, Jen."

When Mac walked into the General's office, she ran into the two people she never expected to see again; Deputy Director Harrison Kershaw, and Special Agent Clayton Webb. So affected by shock, she almost forgot protocol. It was a few moments before her Marine training kicked in and she snapped to rigid attention.

"Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, reporting as ordered, sir," she said, facing her CO and ignoring the other two men.

"At ease, Colonel, have a seat."

Sarah would have preferred to stand but she could tell from her CO's expression that he had received her hidden message. She took the seat offered to her next to Kershaw. Clay was still standing beside the General's desk and she tried but was unable to read his expression.

"I believe you know Director Kershaw and Agent Webb," began the General.

"I do, sir," she replied, keeping her eyes on her CO.

"It's good to see you again, Colonel," offered Kershaw.

"With all due respect, you'll forgive me if I don't share your enthusiasm, Director Kershaw. The last three times we collaborated, it nearly cost the life of someone I hold very dear," she stated flatly, "not to mention my own."

"Nature of the business, Sarah," said Webb, speaking for the first time. "You know that, as well as we do."

"Your business, Agent Webb," she fired back. "Not mine!"

Her deliberate formality had hit the mark and the impassive façade on Webb's face cracked. She had to push down the feelings of guilt.

"Stand down, Colonel," interjected the General. "We're all on the same side here."

"My apologies," Mac offered.

Kershaw handed her a picture. "Do you recognize this man, Colonel MacKenzie?"

Mac took the photo and looked down at it. Despite the fact that she knew he was dead, her heart still went cold by the malevolent expression in the man's eyes. _I hope you are burning in hell,_ she thought to herself.

"Of course," she replied, after composing herself. "This is the man responsible for the death of those two missionaries in Paraguay. He almost killed you, Clay. Gunny, Harm…me." Her emotions were very close to the surface and it took every ounce of self control she possessed to maintain her composure.

"The resemblance is amazing, but this isn't Sadik," said Kershaw, dispassionately. "Meet Sayyid Fahd, Sadik's twin brother," the DDI went on. "While Sadik may have been the heart and soul of the operation, this man is the brains. He holds a master's degree in nuclear physics from Stanford with a strong minor in electrical engineering. We have reason to believe he and his brother were the lynchpins in an Al-Qaeda plot to detonate a nuclear device in a major US city."

"He was trying to obtain a Permissive Action Link," said Mac, remembering her last conversation with her nemesis. "I was of the understanding that we thwarted that plot."

"So did we," Webb added. "That is, until we came across some new information last year." Webb paused to look at his boss who simply nodded for him to continue. "What I'm about to tell you is Level Two classified. Eighteen months ago, the French Navy was involved in a Broken Arrow incident involving a cruise missile. While the nuke itself was recovered, a key component was unaccounted for."

"The PAL," stated Cresswell.

"That's correct, General. Cooperating with both British and French Intelligence, we learned that a radical Islamic terrorist organization, based in the Philippines had obtained possession of the Link. In the process, we also discovered the Brits had a mole in their midst. We didn't yet know who the mole was, but we knew he or she had all the details of our operation."

"And because they knew you were involved, you faked your own death to throw them off the trail," said Mac.

"Not only me, the two other agents whom I was working with, one British, and the other, French. I'm sorry, Sarah," Clay said, sincerely. "I couldn't tell anyone, not even my mother knew all of the details. It was simply too risky. The agent hired by the Abu-Sayyaf Network would have stopped at nothing to find us. You saw what happened to Laurie-June…"

"Damn-it Clay, if I knew what was going on I could have prevented her death," said Mac, her temper now fired up. "You didn't see what that bastard did to her…"

"You don't know that, Colonel," interjected Kershaw. "Even I didn't know Tanveer was the mole."

"Wait just a second," interjected the General. "How did JAG end up in the middle of a CIA operation?"

Mac turned to face her CO. "Just before Admiral Chegwidden retired, Commander Turner conducted a JAG-MAN investigation aboard the _USS Thomas Lyons_. Three civilians, along with three sailors, lost their lives in a rescue attempt in heavy seas…"

"Let me guess, the three civilians were the three Intel Agents."

"Yes sir," replied Mac. "When Commander Turner returned to HQ, he made a point of asking me where Clay was assigned. I became suspicious and started asking questions and that is how a stumbled on the operation."

"I told you she was a good investigator," remarked Kershaw.

"Yes, well, we're getting off track here," countered Cresswell. "How does this affect my people now?"

"Of course, General," replied Kershaw. "Six months ago, Sayyid turned to his colleagues in the Abu Sayyaf Network, whom were now believed to be in possession of a PAL; the same one which was missing from the French cruise missile. Our latest intelligence reports show that the PAL was delivered to a secure facility somewhere in Iran, the Isfahan Province to be more specific, but we haven't yet been able to pinpoint the exact location. It is also believed that they have acquired enough nuclear material to construct a suitcase nuke capable of leveling Manhattan Island."

"Well, that is disturbing to know," Cresswell said acidly. "What is the intelligence community planning to do about it?"

"We have an idea, but it's risky," offered Kershaw. "We can try to smoke him out. According to our sources, Sayyid has pledged vengeance against the person he holds responsible for his brother's death and the person closest to her…"

"Harm?" said Mac, speaking involuntarily. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Maybe nothing," answered Kershaw. "It was our impression that Fahd believes that you and Agent Webb are still involved. That is one piece of intel which still needs to be confirmed before we can proceed further. For the time being, Colonel, you should be aware that you may be under surveillance, both by our people and theirs. We'll be keeping an eye on your associates as well, if only for their own protection."

"Why do I get the feeling that the CIA is looking to pull my people in on another one of their operations?" asked Cresswell. "Don't you people have agents trained for this sort of thing?"

"Of course we do," said Webb. "But that in no way precludes using others when the opportunity presents itself."

_You're an asshole, Webb,_ thought Mac, suddenly losing any sympathy she might have had for him. She was about to voice her displeasure when her boss interjected his own.

"Look, I don't really care about your logistical problems. Quite frankly, they are none of my concern. My people are lawyers, not secret agents. Now Lt. Colonel MacKenzie is an outstanding and decorated Marine and I have no doubt that she can handle herself in a sticky situation, but she is not an intelligence agent. I don't know what kind of deal you had with Admiral Chegwidden but, in case you haven't noticed, he isn't running things around here anymore. So before the two of you get any lame brained ideas about using any of my officers, you're going to have to convince me that their presence is essential to the mission, and even then, I'm not going to order them to go. So far, your operations have done nothing to further their careers."

"Perhaps you should ask Colonel MacKenzie why she refused a decoration," quipped Kershaw. "We'll be in touch."

When they were alone, Cresswell turned to his Chief of Staff. "Would you like to tell me what that was all about, Mac?"

"Not particularly, sir."

"In that case, let me make it an order, Colonel. I want to know what he is talking about. If I'm going to keep JAG out of this, I need to know what I'm up against."

Sarah looked down at her fidgeting hands. _How can I explain something to him that I don't even understand myself?_ She hadn't even told her former CO the whole story about what had happened down there. _It's like this General, my best friend threw away his career to save my sorry ass and I tossed him out of my life like yesterday's garbage._

"Sir, my reasons for refusing the decoration are very personal. In a nutshell, it wasn't me who deserved the award, it was Commander Rabb."

"Commander Rabb was on this mission?"

"Not officially, sir. He resigned when the Admiral refused to let him come after me when Webb and I missed check-in," she replied. "Had Harm arrived an hour later, I would have been tortured to death…"

She struggled to hold her composure as her self control was all but gone. Apparently seeing her distress, Creswell rose from behind his desk and took the seat next to her.

"Mac," he began, "I know this is difficult for you, but if a credible threat exists against one or more of my staff, I need to understand the circumstances. You can leave out the personal stuff and whatever you say here will not leave this office."

Sarah looked up into the eyes of her CO seeing the same look of caring and compassion, she had so often associated with the former JAG. Trusting her instincts, she began to tell her story. Mac left out most of the personal details; her conversation with Harm in the hotel room and what was said at the taxi stand. She also avoided most of the details about her relationship with Clayton Webb.

"So you see, General, it was Commander Rabb who deserved to be decorated, not me. Hell, all I did was hold the aircraft steady while he lobbed the explosives at the truck. Had it not been for Harm, Webb and I would have been dead. Harm gave up everything he was, and everything he had for me. It simply wouldn't have been right for me to accept a decoration at his expense."

General Cresswell nodded. For a while he said nothing and just stared out at the window. After a few minutes he turned to her and said, "You know, Colonel, as I've gotten older, I've found myself wondering if some of the people who occupy today's military truly understand the values of integrity and self sacrifice. And without fail, whenever I find myself questioning those facts, someone comes along and restores my faith in the institution I've sworn my life to protect. Thank you for that. You are an officer of unimpeachable integrity, Mac. You've come a very long way from that impressionable young First Lieutenant who was stationed at Okinawa all those years ago."

"I'd like to think I learned a few things since then, sir. I've still made my share of mistakes along the way."

"Haven't we all?" he offered. When she didn't respond, he continued. "From what you have told me, neither you, nor the Commander could have stopped Sadik and his men alone. I'm going to look into this. As I understand things, Commander Rabb would have still been on terminal leave when all of this took place. This still places him in the military during the events."

"Which would make him eligible for a decoration," Mac finished for him.

"Correct," said Cresswell. "I'd like you to reconsider your own decision in this matter, Colonel. By having these things on your service record, it effectively erases the damage done by staying in the same billet as long as you have."

"Permission to ask the General a question, sir?"

"What's on your mind, Colonel?"

"I've been here at JAG for almost nine years, sir. I like the people I work with, and to be quite honest, I'm happy here, more than I've ever been elsewhere. Is it so wrong to want to stay in a place where you are happy?"

"Colonel MacKenzie, I've been in the Corps over twenty five years and in twenty five years, I've moved fifteen times. Change is a fact of military life, in fact, of life in general. Nothing ever stays the same, Mac."

The General stood and walked over to the window. With his hands behind his back, he looked out over the parking lot.

"Colonel, you, Commander Rabb, and Commander Turner are senior officers; both you and Rabb are ready for your own commands, in fact, you've been ready for quite some time. The service has a lot of young inexperienced officers coming up the ranks. Some of them will find integrity in themselves, like Lt. Mayfield seems to have. And some; like Lt. Vukovic, are going to need a little guidance."

Mac felt her heart stop as the General turned to face her. The surprise must have been evident on her face as the General continued.

"Did you really think that I didn't know about his little charade, Colonel?"

"I didn't know what to think, sir. You seemed to be singing his praises. I was on the phone with Lt. Revere's real father when you came in. How did you know, sir?"

"The gentleman who pretended to be Revere's father belongs to an acting troupe which my wife is acquainted with. You're wondering why I didn't call Vukovic out on it?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, sir."

"The skipper of the _Carl Vinson_ is an old academy classmate of mine. Don't act surprised, I do have a couple of squids I consider friends. Some of them could make it as Marines, don't you agree?"

"I could think of one or two, sir"

"Matt Emerson called me a few weeks before Christmas about a certain JAG officer stationed aboard his ship. He couldn't cite anything specific, but his gut tells him that there is something not quite right about this guy. When I asked about his FITREPS, Captain Emerson told me they were just about perfect. Nobody is that perfect, Colonel so I had orders cut to bring him here. I paired him with you because I like your style, if there was anything funny going on, I'm sure you would find it. It pleases me to no end that he didn't pull a fast one on you."

"Well, while I appreciate the vote of confidence, sir, could you at least give me a heads-up next time?"

"I like to keep my people on their toes, but I'll think about it. So, tell me, how do you plan on handling our little problem? I already assume that you chewed his ass."

"Not as much as I'd like, sir. He still thinks I like what he did. I was considering putting him before the rules committee, but if I did that, he just might draw a reprimand. Before I do anything, I need to know if his career is worth saving. Commander Turner offered to spend some time with him next week and give me another point of view."

"I think we are in agreement. Keep me informed. I meant what I said; he's got fire in his belly and if we can set him on the right path he'll be an asset to JAG. If not, well, I'd rather know sooner than later."

"Will do, sir."

The General relaxed his stance before he spoke again. "You still have plans with the Commander this weekend?"

"I'm looking forward to it, sir. We're leaving tomorrow evening for Blacksburg where the Commander keeps his plane. Mattie, she's the girl who was the Commander's ward until a few months ago, invited us to stay with her and her father. We leave from Blacksburg Friday morning."

"Rabb flies a vintage Stearman, doesn't he?"

"He does. The plane belonged to his grandfather. When Harm was recovering from his ramp strike, he restored the aircraft. I'm not an aviator, and even I have to admit it's a beautiful aircraft."

"It'll be a bit cold for the first leg I'll bet," the General offered. "Anyway, Colonel, I won't keep you. Enjoy your weekend."

"Thank you, General."

"Dismissed."

"Aye aye, sir."


	8. Chapter 8 Comeuppance:

**Chapter 8; Comeuppance:**

**Thursday 13:25 ZULU**

**JAG HQ Falls Church, VA:**

After staff call, Mac and Sturgis walked through the bullpen on the way to their offices. Turner had returned to Washington late last night and Mac wanted to know when her significant other was planning to return. After the bombshell which was dropped on her the evening before, she just wanted to pick him up and get the hell out of the city. The idea of being spied on by the CIA, even if it was for her own protection didn't sit well with her.

"How did he take it when you showed him the report?" she asked, reading the original recommendation he had written before they found the murdered Iraqi dignitary.

"Harm wasn't very happy about it, but, to be truthful I expected worse. Did you have anything to do with that?"

Mac smiled and nodded, knowing her intervention had probably prevented Rabb from taking Turner's findings personally. "I know how he can be when his views are challenged, which is why I'm the one who has to come up with the dispassionate plan," she said. "Did he tell you when he was leaving?"

"He was getting ready to finish his night traps when I left. Harm might be on his way back."

"I hope so," she replied. "He didn't call this morning and he usually does."

"By the way, Mac," began Sturgis. "What's this I hear about the two of you finally giving things a try?"

"Harm told you?" she asked, obviously surprised.

"Yeah, he did. I think it's great. I'm really happy for both of you. So you're going to spend the weekend at his parent's place in South Carolina?"

"That's the plan, if we can get through today without life throwing us another curve," she remarked. She looked across the bullpen where Lt. Commander Roberts was sharing photos of his and Harriet's newborn twins. Seeing Lt. Vukovic, seeming to show an interest surprised her; she wouldn't have thought him capable of any such kindness, even if it was just to be polite. _God, I really must despise this guy,_ she thought.

"Have you seen the new additions to Bud's family?" asked Sturgis.

"Are you kidding me? I've been over there just about every night since they came home. Harriet certainly has her hands full."

Sensing the conversation was heading in a direction she didn't want to go, Mac redirected by asking about Varese.

"We're still seeing each other," he offered. "I sometimes don't know what it is she sees in me."

"Don't question love, Sturgis," she insisted, almost too forcefully. "She's good for you."

"This, coming from someone who took nine years to make a connection with the person she cared about…"

"That's just what I mean," Mac said, interrupting his rebuttal. "Harm and I should have never waited so long to share our feelings." _We might have lost our chance to have children,_ she couldn't help but think.

"Well, since I haven't had a chance to see them, I'll go over and have a look at Bud's pictures. You free later to go over next week's remedial plan for the Lieutenant?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied. "I'll be catching up on paperwork."

As Turner went to chat with Bud, Mac waltzed into her office. When she looked back up, Bud was heading for his office with Vukovic glued to his heels. She wouldn't have given it a second thought, except for the bemused expression on Commander Turner's face.

...

"My younger sister had twins about a year ago, sir," said Greg Vukovic. "I was out to sea when they were born and by the time I saw them in person, they had grown so much from the pictures."

Bud was beaming, "They don't stay small very long, Lieutenant," he said. "The Admiral told me before I know it; I'll be walking my daughter down the aisle."

Vukovic did like kids, as long as they were somebody else's. For him, the idea of fatherhood and marriage was many years away. Greg enjoyed the single life far too much to ever consider settling down.

Greg looked up and noticed Colonel MacKenzie strolling into her office thinking, _if I ever did have to give up bachelorhood, she'd be the one._

"Just one night," he said aloud. "I'd like to…"

"Just one night, Lieutenant? Exactly what would you like to do?" asked Commander Roberts. His voice was neutral and the jovial expression on his face was gone.

"Colonel MacKenzie, sir, I mean…surely you've thought about it…"

"Thought about what, Lieutenant?" asked Roberts. It was now clear to Greg that he had said more than he should have. "It wasn't important, sir. Forget I said it."

"Spit it out, Lieutenant, that's an order," said Bud, with an edge in his voice no one had ever heard before.

"With all due respect, sir, I would prefer not to…"

"My office, Lieutenant," commanded Roberts, "Now."

...

Mac walked back out of her office when she heard a door close hard. She approached Commander Turner who had his eyes glued to the scene playing out in Lt. Commander Roberts's office.

"What's going on, Sturgis?"

"I think Bud is seriously exercising those commander strips for the first time," replied Turner.

"At Vukovic? What the hell did he do to piss Bud off?"

"I didn't hear all of it, Mac, but I did hear Greg mention your name and I get the impression that it wasn't at all complimentary. I was about to pull him aside myself when Bud beat me to the punch."

Mac suddenly found herself smiling at the fact that her honor was being defended by her protégé. _Give him hell, Bud._ It was then that the General chose to join them.

"Something going on that I should be aware of?"

When he was apprised of the situation, Cresswell said, "When they are done, tell both of them that I would like to see them in my office."

...

When Vukovic walked into his office, he began to ramble off a bunch of excuses which Bud put a very quick end to with his first utterance.

"SNAP TO!"

Instantly the young Lieutenant came to attention, a posture that Bud forced him to hold for a few moments before he came face to face with the upstart. He allowed some of the anger he was feeling reach his voice.

"Now, I want to hear exactly what you said about the Colonel, and then, I want to hear what you meant by it!"

"Sir, I meant no disrespect…"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Bud could see the young man start to sweat. _Good,_ he thought. _Let him think about his transgression._

"I'm waiting, Lieutenant!"

"Sir, I said 'Just one night, I'd like to,' sir."

"Very good Lieutenant," said Roberts. "Now, finish the sentence!"

"I can't, sir, it would be disrespectful."

"I imagine it would be," said Bud, the disgust evident in his voice. "I have been at JAG for over nine years and in that time I have never met such a sorry excuse for an officer as I'm looking at right now."

The truth was, Bud had seen worse, in the form of Commander Lindsey, but Vukovic didn't need to know that.

"Let me tell you something. Lt. Colonel MacKenzie is one of the finest officers I have ever had the privilege to serve with. Her honor and integrity are above reproach and I will not tolerate any disrespect for her in my presence. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?"

"As a bell, sir."

"In fact, if I ever hear you showing that level of disrespect to any female staff member I will make you regret the day you joined the Navy. Do you understand me?"

"I do, sir."

"After lunch, you will publicly apologize to Colonel MacKenzie for your ungentlemanly behavior."

"Yes, sir," replied Vukovic. "Anything else, sir?"

"That will be all, Lieutenant, you're dismissed."

"Aye aye, sir."

Vukovic turned on his heal and exited the office. A few seconds later Mac popped her head in.

"Is it safe to come in, now?" she asked.

Bud came to attention, but Mac waved him off, "As you were."

"I suppose you heard, ma'am."

"Yeah, Bud, I did," she replied. "How did it feel?"

Bud answered her question honestly.

"Not good, ma'am," he replied. "I always thought if I ever had to resort to chewing someone out it meant that I had failed to set a good example."

"Sometimes that is true, Bud," she said. "But not in this case. Lt. Vukovic had it coming and sometimes you have to be stern to maintain good order and discipline. I'd like to tell you it gets easier, but the truth is, it doesn't. No officer worth their salt enjoys having to discipline someone under their command, but unfortunately, it comes with the job."

"I think I understand, thanks, ma'am."

"The General wants to see you and Vukovic in his office."

"I suppose I'm in trouble," he said. Bud knew he had gotten off on the wrong foot with the spit and polish Marine, and several incidents had only exacerbated the situation.

"Why would you be?"

"The General doesn't like me, ma'am. Let's face it; the Admiral did me a favor by promoting me to Lt. Commander. He bought me another five, maybe six years in the Navy. After that, I'll be separated because no one else will promote me. Truth be told, ma'am, maybe that isn't such a bad thing."

"Why is that, Bud?"

Roberts could see genuine concern in her eyes and he counted himself fortunate to have such a dedicated mentor. Having two, in the form of Commander Rabb, was unheard of.

"Ma'am, you see what is going on around us. General Cresswell is old school military, and he's not going to keep people around just because they are happy here. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that both you and the Commander are being transferred at some point…"

Bud could tell by the look on her face that he had struck a nerve, "I'm sorry, ma'am. Have you and the Commander decided what you are going to do if you get transferred?"

"Not yet, but the General knows of our involvement, in fact, he took the news better than I thought he would which leads me to think we might be misjudging him."

"I hope so, ma'am."

The phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Bud glanced at the caller ID and said, "It's the General."

"I'll get it, Bud," she said, reaching for the receiver. "You go on in."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

...

"Colonel, is Lt. Commander Roberts still there?"

"He's on his way to see you, sir. It's my fault he was held up."

"I see," said the General, as he looked up at Lt. Vukovic, who was still standing at attention in front of him. "I'll need to speak to you later on, Colonel. Carry on."

"Aye aye, sir."

Cresswell hung up the phone just as Bud knocked on the rail.

"Enter," said Cresswell, gruffly. "Close the hatch behind you."

Roberts did as he was instructed and came to rigid attention before his CO.

"Lt. Commander Roberts reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease, Commander," said the General, after a pause. _Good posture is food for the spirit,_ he thought, enjoying his own joke.

Cresswell stood from behind his desk and came around so he could stand face to face with them.

"So, Commander, would you care to enlighten me as to why it was necessary to dress down the Lieutenant?"

"I'd like to give Lieutenant Vukovic the opportunity to address that issue, that is, with your permission, sir."

"Very well," said the General. "Lieutenant, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sir, I made a gross breach of protocol by an off handed comment directed at Colonel MacKenzie…"

"An off handed comment?"

"Yes sir, I didn't mean any disrespect…"

"If you didn't mean any disrespect, then why did I see Lt. Commander Roberts chewing your six?" Cresswell moved so that he was face to face with Vukovic. "Are you telling me that his actions were unwarranted?"

"Not at all, sir."

"I'm glad to hear it," Cresswell said turning his head to Bud. "Commander Roberts, you're dismissed, we'll compare notes later."

"Aye aye, sir."

Roberts came to attention and spun on his heal and Cresswell considered his initial assessment for a moment. _Yes, Mr. Roberts, I think you are worth another look._ Cresswell turned his attention back to the young man in front of him.

"Lieutenant Vukovic," he began. "You are a naval officer, and as such, I expect and demand that you will conduct yourself accordingly. This means you don't make off handed comments; you speak plainly. You say what you mean, and you mean what you say. Do you agree with that philosophy, Lieutenant?"

"Absolutely, sir."

"Glad to see we are on the same page," replied Cresswell. "Now, speaking plainly, what exactly did you say about the Colonel, and what did you mean by it?"

"Sir, what I said was, 'Just one night, I'd like to.' I never finished the sentence. I think the General can infer what I meant by it."

Vukovic's face was flushed with embarrassment.

"I'd be ashamed of my conduct too, if I were you."

Cresswell returned to his seat behind the desk. He still had the young Lieutenant at attention.

"This is the second time this week that your name has come across my desk, Lieutenant. If you are going to hire an actor, maybe you should have found someone who wasn't local…"

"She told you, sir?"

"Did I give you permission to speak, Lieutenant?"

"No sir, sorry sir."

"For your information, Colonel MacKenzie didn't say anything to me about your transgression; the gentleman you brought in works with the acting troupe my wife has some dealings with."

"Permission to ask a question, sir?"

"Granted."

"Sir, if you knew about the ploy I used to get at the truth, then why did you seem to be happy with the results?"

"I have my reasons, and, for now, you don't need to know them."

"Understood, sir."

Cresswell considered his next move carefully. Despite his propensity to engage in inappropriate behavior with members of the opposite sex in his chain of command, Vukovic's record was otherwise clean. Until now, the incidents in question had been vague and unsubstantiated. The General knew he was going to have to address both of these issues and at least one of them was going on his permanent record.

Deciding that Greg had been at attention long enough, Cresswell allowed him to stand at ease.

"So Lieutenant, what am I supposed to do with you?"

"I don't suppose the General would consider an apology would be in order, sir?"

"Does that include the alleged relationship with Commander Jessica Danby?"

The General watched as the blood ran from the young man's face.

"Commander Danby and I are friends, sir," Greg said, although the General was sure there was much more to that story.

"The CO of the _Vinson_ felt otherwise. That's why you are here. Make no mistake, Lieutenant, right now; you are on very thin ice. As to your misconduct in the Genuzzi case, I will be adding a formal letter of reprimand to your personnel file. It's not a career killer, but you will have to work long and hard to overcome the repercussions."

"I understand, sir."

"Where did Commander Roberts leave the incident this morning?"

"Sir, I'm to make a public apology to Colonel MacKenzie for my remarks after lunch."

"Make sure you do that, Lieutenant. I will be speaking to her shortly to ascertain whether she wishes to have formal charges of sexual harassment drawn up against you. If she chooses to do so, the matter will be out of my hands and your career in the Navy will be in serious jeopardy. Do you understand?"

"I do, sir."

"Make sure you understand this, Lieutenant. JAG HQ is not your private little brothel. I expect that you will treat each and every member of my staff with the respect due their position and gender, are we clear about that?"

"Crystal clear, sir."

"One more thing," began the General. "Assuming that Colonel MacKenzie is gracious enough to allow you to slide, I don't believe an apology is sufficient penance for your actions. I have to drive to Quantico tomorrow for my annual PFTs and I'll be leaving here at 05:00. Why don't you join me?"

"05:00, sir. I'll be there."

"Don't be late, Lieutenant. And don't forget your fatigues."

"Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

"Aye aye, sir."

Vukovic spun on his heel and quickly exited the office. _It's too bad they don't allow administrative punishment_, thought the General, remembering a sci-fi move he had seen a few years ago.


	9. Chapter 9 Bait:

**Chapter 9; Bait:**

**18:00 ZULU**

**JAG HQ Falls Church, VA:**

When Harm walked into the bullpen, he was more than surprised to see all of the staff gathered around the General. _What the hell is going on, _he thought as he saw both Mac and, Lt. Vukovic, standing behind Cresswell. While Mac was at ease, Vukovic was standing at rigid attention.

Quietly he made his way to were Sturgis was standing and whispered softly, "What's going on?"

"It would appear that our new Lieutenant needs to learn a lesson about military conduct and protocol," replied Sturgis, in a voice just above a whisper. "I'll let Mac fill you in on the details."

Harm simply nodded and turned his attention to the General. By the tone of his voice, he knew the spit and polish Marine was not a happy man. _If Vukovic said something inappropriate to Mac, I'm not going to be a happy man._ Whatever it was he had said must not have been said to her face because Vukovic was still standing.

"I think everyone is here," the General began. "Lt. Vukovic has something he would like to say."

Cresswell turned to the young officer and gestured for him to step forward. When Vukovic was in place Cresswell escorted Mac to the front of the group and took the place beside her. The entire room full of officers and enlisted personnel now faced a very nervous Lieutenant.

Clearing his throat, Greg began, "This morning, right after staff call, I committed a very serious breach of protocol by making a comment which was both distasteful, and disrespectful to one of my fellow officers. I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies to Colonel MacKenzie, whom the comment was about, and to all of those who may have overheard my undignified behavior. I am truly very sorry for my actions."

_The only thing you're sorry about, Lieutenant, is you got caught,_ Harm thought to himself.

"Lieutenant," began the General. "I've spoken to Colonel MacKenzie at length about your infraction and after much deliberation and intervention on her part; I have decided to let this matter drop. Consider yourself very lucky that the Colonel is such a magnanimous individual. Her intervention on your behalf may have just saved your career. Had it been left to me, you'd be facing an Article 32. Do you understand the seriousness of this kind of behavior, Lieutenant? And do you understand the significance of the Colonel's graciousness?"

"I do, sir, on both counts," said Vukovic. "I'm extremely grateful to the Colonel for her generosity. I know I don't deserve it."

Cresswell looked at Mac and she spoke briefly. "You can express your gratitude by not making me regret my decision, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well," stated the General. "Company dismissed. Colonel MacKenzie, Commander Rabb, I'd like to see both of you in my office."

As the gathering broke up Harm moved so he could intercept the brash young Lieutenant. Gently, he grabbed Greg's arm getting his full attention.

"Just so we understand each other, Lieutenant," he said, just so Greg could hear. "If you ever say anything off color or disrespectful to Colonel MacKenzie again, your career will be that last thing you have to worry about."

"Is that a threat, Commander?"

"No, Lieutenant. That is a promise." Rabb then gave him his classic flyboy smile as he released him, but the smile never reached his eyes.

...

"Come in, Commander," said the General from his desk which Mac was already seated in front of. "Close the hatch and take a seat."

Cresswell watched the tall aviator exchange a look with his partner and was amused by the brief pat given to her shoulder.

Colonel, have you spoken to the Commander since last evening?"

"No, sir," she replied.

"Then why don't I let you bring him up to speed on our little meeting with Kershaw."

The look of astonishment on Harm's face was not lost on the General and he continued to study the man as his significant other detailed the suspicions which the CIA had brought forth. When she was finished, Rabb turned to the General. "Sir, with all due respect, you're not thinking of getting us involved with another one of the CIA's hair brained operations, are you?"

"Neither one of you will be going on a mission for the CIA without someone to cover your sixes, of that, I can assure you, Commander. Colonel MacKenzie told me all about the debacle in Paraguay, and I have no intention of letting that happen again. My primary concern right now is the safety of my two best officers. If the CIA is even partially correct, there is a terrorist out there holding a grudge against the two of you. After you left last night, Colonel, I called over to Naval Intelligence. The Admiral in charge owes me a favor or two and after a bit of finagling, I was able to obtain some collaborating information."

"What did Naval Intelligence have to offer?" asked Mac, concern evident in her voice.

"Well, for one thing, Sayyid Fahd is a credible threat, however, it's not known if he has operatives working here in the states. The most concerning issue is Fahd does have everything he needs to construct a working suitcase sized nuclear device. For that reason alone, drawing him out into the open is a mission which is being considered at the highest levels. The good news is, Naval Intelligence, not the CIA will be calling the shots on this op, unless the CIA wants to go it alone, in which case, we will not have any involvement."

"Is JAG going to be involved in the operation, General?" Harm asked.

"Don't have an answer yet, Commander. Because you and Colonel MacKenzie are involved in a personal relationship, conventional wisdom would dictate that one of you would be left behind should the other be chosen for this operation."

Cresswell saw Rabb open his mouth to object but before he could say anything, the General cut him off. "Based on what I know of the Paraguay mission, conventional wisdom may not be the best option."

"You would let us both go?" asked Mac, clearly surprised at the turn of events.

"You misunderstand, Colonel, given a choice, neither one of you are going to get involved with this. Unfortunately, if this turns out to be real, that decision may be out of my hands. As far as I'm concerned, the best chance I have at getting both of my officers back in one piece is by sending both of them. That is something I can insist upon."

"So for now, we have to wait and see?" asked Harm. "And while we wait, the CIA is watching over our shoulder."

"That's correct, Commander. They already have teams staked out at the airport and the Johnson home in Blacksburg, your parent's place in Myrtle Beach. They are also keeping an eye on your closest mutual friends and Commander Rabb's parents and grandmother. Colonel, your only two living blood relatives are your Uncle Matt, and your mother; is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Well, we know your uncle is safe where he is, but the CIA was unable to find your mother's whereabouts. Do you know where she is?"

"No sir, I don't." replied Mac. "My mother and I have been estranged for years. The last time I saw her was when my father passed away. That was six years ago. If the CIA can't find her, she's probably safer than she would be otherwise."

Cresswell suspected that there were very conflicted feelings beneath the mask his Chief of Staff had erected and he redirected the conversation.

"I tend to agree,"he said. "I'd like you and the Commander to secure for the day and get an early start on your drive to Blacksburg. If you leave now, you'll make it before nightfall. One more thing, the JAG conference has been pushed out, again. It seems that there was a booking conflict with our alternate date. I have Lt. Graves looking for another venue but it will probably be several weeks before the event is rescheduled."

"By that time, the weather in DC will have greatly improved," offered Harm. "Maybe we should just hold the event here, sir."

"I thought about that, but I do have a specific reason for wanting to have the event in San Diego. In light of certain events, I'm reconsidering the staff assignments for that week. By the time the two of you return from leave, I should have made my decision."

Harm and Mac both nodded their understanding and Cresswell added, "With that, enjoy your time off. Dismissed."

"Aye aye, sir," they replied, standing and coming to attention before leaving the office.

...

"I have to grab a few things from my office," she said as they walked into the bullpen. "My bags are already packed and waiting in the vehicle."

"Sounds good, Mac," he replied. "I'll wait for you at the elevator."

Quickly she darted into her office and shutdown her computer while she gathered up her belongings. While she had hoped that the General would allow them to secure early, she never expected to be able to leave by midday. Just as she was about to grab her briefcase and step out of her office, Lt. Vukovic tapped on her door.

"Lieutenant, not to be rude, but I'm somewhat pressed for time. Can this wait until next week?"

"Ma'am, I just wanted to apologize personally and thank you for your generosity…"

"Just remember what I said, Lieutenant. Now if you will excuse me, I have someone waiting for me."

"I know," he replied. "Commander Rabb; the two of you seem to be very close…"

"My relationship with Commander Rabb is none of your business, Lieutenant," she said in an icy voice, closing the distance between them so only he would hear. "I'll thank you to keep your speculations to yourself."

"Of course, ma'am," said the young Lieutenant. "I meant no offense."

"Good day, Lieutenant," she said, as she secured her office door.

Mac made her way to the exit, wondering what Harm had said to Vukovic. All her life, Sarah had been used to dealing with her own problems and never liked to depend on anyone to defend her as she was quite capable of doing that on her own, thank you very much. Had Harm heard the comment firsthand, like Bud, she would understand his intervention, but the matter had been resolved and she had to push away her irritation at the thought of him interceding. Mac forced herself to look at the situation from his point of view. Harmon Rabb Jr. was a man who was very protective of the people he loved or cared about. It was one of the things she admired about him and she needed to resign herself to the fact that now that they were an item, his protectiveness was going to cover her even more than it had in the past. She found herself smiling, realizing that he couldn't help himself and if the shoe had been on the other foot, she'd probably do the same for him.

Right or wrong, she had seen him for less than twenty four hours in the past seven days and the last thing she wanted to do was start a fight on the eve of their weekend getaway, although she felt perfectly justified in teasing him just a bit.

When she arrived at the elevator, the door was just opening and they had the waiting car to themselves. Once inside with the doors closed, she dropped her belongings and threw her arms around him, kissing him senseless.

"Now that was worth waiting for," said Rabb, when she released him, just before they reached the ground floor.

"There is more where that came from," she saucily replied, gathering up her things as the door opened.

"It won't take me long to get ready," he offered as they walked out of the building. "My suitcase is pre-packed and I managed to get the stuff in my sea bag washed before leaving the ship."

"You sound as if you're almost as organized as a Marine," she quipped. "Not bad, for a squid."

"Let's just say I had some motivation."

"Seriously, Harm, I just want to get the hell out of Washington before life throws us another curve," she replied. "Besides, we have some unfinished business to attend to."

Mac knew that the 'unfinished business' she was referring to was going to have to wait until they had arrived in Myrtle Beach. While they would have their own room at Tom and Mattie's place, she wanted their first time to be in a more private setting where they both were free to express their love without any inhibitions. _We've waited nine years, what's one more night._

"Harm, did you manage to get any sleep on the plane?" she asked, as they reached the car.

"Not really," he replied. "We hit turbulence the whole trip home and to be honest, I was too keyed up to sleep."

"I'll drive, then," she said, her tone indicating the subject wasn't open for discussion. "I can pull off at the rest area just before we get to the Blacksburg exit and you can take over from there."

"I probably won't be able sleep…"

"You can rest then," she said, cutting him off. "I don't want to climb into an airplane with you when you're tired."

He looked as if he was going to argue for a moment but seemed to think better of it, putting his hands up in surrender.

She allowed herself to smile at her small, but significant victory and climbed into the driver's seat. Beside her, Harm had nodded off before they made it to his place.

...

Unseen by either of them, a dark colored late model sedan pulled into traffic a few car lengths behind them. The person behind the wheel wore the dark glasses and dark suit consistent with any number of three letter government agencies.

"I have the target in sight," he said over the surveillance radio he wore.

...

**18:40 ZULU**

**CIA Headquarters, Langley, VA:**

In the CIA situation room, Deputy Director Harrison Kershaw, and Special Agent Clayton Webb, watched the operation unfold.

"Our rover reports that Rabb and MacKenzie have just got onto Interstate 66. It looks like MacKenzie is driving," said one of the agents working in the room.

Harrison Kershaw had made the decision to put this surveillance operation together based on a new piece of intel he chose not to share with the people at JAG. This was a decision that Clay didn't agree with, and because of it, he was nervous.

Without fail, every one of Webb's operations which had involved his two friends from JAG would have ended in disaster had it not been for the resourcefulness of the MacKenzie/Rabb team. Clayton had argued that at the very least, Rabb and MacKenzie should have been given all the details of the operation, they were the closest thing he had to friends, but Kershaw had overruled him, citing the risk if they were captured. Webb was left with little choice in the matter and he hadn't been given the opportunity to drop a dime himself.

Despite everything which had happened in Paraguay, Clay found that he still cared a great deal for Sarah MacKenzie. In his wildest fantasies, he envisioned the two of them working in the agency together, much as his parents had done, thirty years prior. He had never acted on it because he always thought there was something between her and her partner. That is, until two years ago, he got tired of waiting for Rabb to get off his ass and tell her his feelings. He decided to make his own play for the very capable Marine Lt. Colonel by bringing her into a very dangerous mission under the guise of his pregnant wife. It was an action that had almost cost both of them their lives. She wouldn't leave Galindez behind, and he wouldn't let her go after him alone. Had it been anyone else, he would have left them to their own devices, and it was only the timely arrival of Rabb and Galindez that saved their lives.

As fate would have it, Rabb and MacKenzie had suffered a falling out over the near fatal mission and he jumped at his chance to fill the void Rabb had left. The relationship was doomed to failure as Sarah MacKenzie was a person who would accept nothing less than the absolute truth, something an intel agent could never share. In two ways, he had pushed away the woman whom he had fallen in love with, by placing her at risk by allowing Simon Tanveer to get so close to her, and by his elaborate deceptions. It wasn't bad enough that he had faked his death. She was just as angry about his ploy which led her to believe he was in Germany, when in fact, he was working in Indonesia. In hindsight, Webb knew it was foolhardy to have tried to come between Harm and Mac, her reaction in the General's office had only confirmed that Rabb still held her heart, but he couldn't help how he felt.

"It would be nice to be able to nab these bastards on our soil," said Kershaw.

"You'd have a better chance if we had let Rabb and MacKenzie in on the plan," replied Webb. "Right now, they are being used as bait."

"Clayton, we don't even know how credible the threat is. You need to stay focused on the objective. We are talking about stopping a nuclear act of terrorism. Rabb, MacKenzie, you, I; we are all expendable."

Webb knew his boss was right, but he still didn't like the things he was being forced to do. _I've been in this damned business too long,_ he thought to himself.

...

**21:00 ZULU**

**Grand Strand Airport, Myrtle Beach, SC:**

Even in the post 911 world, the two men in the late model rental car were not even given a second glance by the small security detail which consisted of one man from a small local security firm. Truth be told, this waterfront tourist community had very little nearby to warrant a large police presence at the local airport. Even the large field to the south, despite the grandeur its name promoted, Myrtle Beach International Airport was not much more than a regional field, although the single runway was over nine thousand feet long, long enough to land a 747. This was largely due to the fact the field was once known as Myrtle Beach Air Force Base.

The two men were very young looking, dark haired, and olive skin toned, but being beardless they could pass as anyone from a friendly Mediterranean country. They had been chosen because of their youth and they looked much younger than they were.

"Zakir, I do not understand," the younger man said to his friend, and mentor. "If these infidels are enemies of Allah, why do we only plan to kill one of them?"

"There are things in this world worse than death, Nasif," said the elder. "Watching one that you deeply care for die in your arms is a most painful experience. It can drive one to take his, or, in this case, take her own life."

"And you are sure that we will know when he has landed? I have seen several dozen aircraft land here today. Some of the people flying them looked like the two in our photo."

"Patience Nasif," said his mentor. "The aircraft we are waiting for very unique, one of a kind as the infidels are fond of saying, and it is not expected to land until tomorrow, midday. We will be out here before then."

Zakir handed the younger man a photo of a yellow biplane, a vintage Stearman trainer.

"And this aircraft is marked US Navy?"

"The man who owns it is a Navy pilot. We know from our teachings that the military pilots all have egos the size of their aircraft carriers. And we also know of Allah's teachings on the subject," Zakir said. He then quoted from the Koran. "You shall not treat the people with arrogance, nor shall you roam the earth proudly. God does not like the arrogant showoffs. Walk humbly and lower your voice - the ugliest voice is the donkey's voice."

"You are most wise, Zakir."

The elder man shook his head. "No, my young friend, Allah is wise; I am only his humble servant."

...

**22:30 ZULU**

**Interstate 81, North of Roanoke VA:**

When Harm awoke, the first thing he saw was his girlfriend humming along quietly to a tune on the radio. They had both changed into civvies while at his apartment and Sarah had let her hair down. For the first time in months she looked genuinely happy. _I think she is finally getting back to her normal weight,_ he thought to himself.

While Harm had been away during his stint in the CIA, Mac had lost a significant about of weight and she didn't start putting it back until after she had first seen Commander McCool. Harm had suspected Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as the reason, not only for her weight loss, but also for the rift which had opened between them. _Of course, you didn't help much either, Rabb, by not returning her phone calls. She reached out to you and you ignored her pleas for help._

"I thought you couldn't sleep," she said, bringing his mind back to the present. "I guess it's a good thing that I drove."

"Yeah, I was more tired than I thought," he replied. "Where are we?"

"About twenty miles from our exit," she replied. "The rest area is just a few more miles ahead. I was going to wake you once we stopped."

Some of the things he was thinking of must have been still showing on his face as her expression grew to one of concern.

"Harm, what's wrong?"

He considered trying to bluff his way out of it, but she knew him much too well for that to work.

"Have I ever apologized for not returning your phone calls?"

"While you were at the CIA?" she asked, to clarify.

"Yeah."

"Yes, you did," she replied. "At least a dozen times; why do you ask?"

"You needed me, Mac," he replied. "And I wasn't there for you…"

"You would have been there if I hadn't thrown you aside," she retorted, cutting him off. "Harm, we both did and said things back then we shouldn't have. I'll tell you what; I won't beat myself up if you don't beat yourself up, deal?"

Harm recognized the words as the same ones he had used when they were being chased by the poachers.

"All right, deal," he replied.

Despite being late February, the weather had been unseasonably warm that day and the forecast was the same for tomorrow. A storm front was supposed to move through late Friday night and most of Saturday was looking like a washout. Saturday evening through Tuesday was slated to be clear and seasonable.

"We might be stuck in the house on Saturday," he remarked.

"You promise," she replied, a saucy grin adorning her face.

Harm reached into his jacket pocket and felt the small box he had placed there before leaving his apartment. _We may not leave the house Sunday,_ he thought.


	10. Chapter 10 Bad News in Blacksburg:

**Chapter 10; Bad News in Blacksburg:**

**23:45 ZULU**

**Johnson Home, Blacksburg, VA:**

It was dark by the time they pulled up the long driveway which led to Tom and Mattie's secluded home. Mac had never been here before, in fact, she had never been to Blacksburg. A year after 9-11, Harm had decided to move his aircraft to another field, mostly due to a change in the approach pattern which made getting in and out of Leesburg problematic. They had driven by the airfield on the way and Mac suddenly found herself recalling the ill fated flight. But it wasn't the ordeal with the poachers she was pondering, it was the good time she was having with Harm before they had the engine trouble. Harm had mentioned the possibility of the two of them taking an overnight trip in his vintage plane 'Sarah' soon after their 'date' to the Sudanese Embassy, but orders to go to Japan had precluded their plans and she didn't fly with him again until the summer Bud was home recovering from losing his leg to the land mine.

The lights were on in the living room and Mac saw Mattie standing in the doorway as Harm pulled his SUV up to the house.

"Harm, Mac, you're here!" she said, the excitement in her voice clearly evident.

Mac held back, allowing her boyfriend, _yes, I can call him that, now,_ to embrace his former ward.

"Hey, Harm…reduce altitude," the teenager said.

"Hello, Mattie," he said, leaning down so she could hug him.

The sight of Harm interacting with the young girl who was like a daughter to him, tugged at Mac's heartstrings every time she witnessed it and it tended to make her misty as several emotions would hit her all at once. The sight of him being able to express unconditional love warmed her heart beyond words and had opened a door for both of them. Those feelings were tempered by the disappointment and sadness that he may never have the chance to show the same kind of affection to his own child, their child.

"It's about time he told you how he felt."

Mattie's words cut through Mac's thoughts and brought her back to the present as the teenager greeted her with a warm hug. "I am so happy for both of you," Mattie added.

"Thank you," said Mac. "It's good to see you again."

Harm was exchanging pleasantries with Tom. "You remember Colonel MacKenzie, don't you, Tom?"

"I certainly do," he replied. "Good to see you again, Colonel."

"Please, call me Mac," she said, offering her hand.

Before she knew it, Mattie was grabbing her by the hand. "Come on, Mac. I'll show you the house, while Dad and Harm talk about guy stuff. Besides, now that he's your boyfriend, I need to tell you all of his secrets," she giggled.

"Hey!" said Harm, "I'm still here, you know."

"Don't worry, Harm," replied Mattie. "I won't tell her everything, just the good stuff."

...

Harm watched the two women who had stolen his heart walk into the house. When they were alone, Tom began to speak. "Can I offer you something to drink, Harm, coffee, tea, soda? I'm sorry I don't have anything stronger in the house…"

"No apologies, Tom. I understand," Harm replied. "I'll have some coffee a bit later."

"You know, Harm, since Mattie found out that you and Colonel MacKenzie are an item; that is all she has talked about. I have to admit, I knew the day she stood before the judge that the two of you would be a couple one day," Tom offered.

"Well, it took us a while to get on the same page, a lot longer than it should have."

"That's always been the problem with women, they don't come with an instruction manual," quipped Tom.

"I'm sure they make the same complaint about us."

Both men shared a good chuckle over that. Tom Johnson suddenly became very quiet and looked out towards the horizon. The elder man seemed to have something on his mind and Harm decided to wait him out.

"I need to thank Colonel MacKenzie for setting me straight that night. Had it not been for her, I wouldn't have stayed on the wagon. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever thanked you for taking care of Mattie while I was in rehab and for opening the door allowing us to reconcile. I know how hard that was for you."

"Yeah, Tom, you have thanked me. More than once," he replied. "Mac did what any recovering alcoholic would do. She found sobriety at a much younger age, but even today, she'll tell you she does it one day at a time."

"I still owe her, Harm."

"Tom, to be perfectly honest, as far as Mattie is concerned, I facilitated your reconciliation more for her sake, than yours, but regardless, it was the right thing to do. I know what it's like to have to live without a parent and I didn't want Mattie to have to live without both."

"It's funny you brought that up," Tom said, an ominous tone in his voice. "Before I go any further, Mattie doesn't know this, and, for now, I want to keep it that way."

"Go on," said Harm.

"I went to see the doctor about a week ago for a physical. I haven't been feeling quite right and since I hadn't had one in years, they ran a battery of tests. Doc Keller called me three days ago with the results."

Tom Johnson took a deep breath before he went on. "The funny thing about alcoholism is the effects of the drug itself are cumulative. Drink enough over a long enough period of time, things start to go south."

"How bad is it, Tom?"

"Bad enough," he replied. "My liver is shot to hell, my kidneys are failing; the Doc has given me six months to live, maybe a year. Most of that will be spent in the hospital if my kidneys give out."

"My God, Tom, I'm sorry," said Harm. He had never expected this to happen. "Have you figured out what you are going to do?"

"Well, I don't have to worry about the house. Once I got Grace Aviation back on its feet, I paid off the note Mattie had taken out. She owns it free and clear. Grace Aviation itself is a corporation and I've hired someone I trust to manage it. It won't make a lot of money, but it will be enough to pay for our health insurance. I've transferred my shares into Mattie's name, so right now, I'm just an employee. I just have to get through the next thirty days before I start racking up the medical bills."

"What about life insurance, Tom?"

"I have some, but, it won't be enough to cover everything if the medical bills get too high. If you have some time, I'd like to go over some options. I don't want to see Mattie get saddled with any of this," said Tom. "There is one other matter I need to discuss with you."

Johnson reached into his jacket and removed an envelope. He handed it to Harm.

"What's this?"

"It's a request for transfer of parental custody I had drawn up with the Virginia Family Court. If anything happens to me, or I become incapable of seeing to Mattie's needs, this document will see to it that she is remanded to your custody. All you need to do is sign the affirmation form and bring it to the court. That of course, is assuming you still want to be her guardian…"

"Tom, do you really need to ask that?"

"No, I didn't think I would. But I didn't wish to be presumptuous. There is, however, one thing I do need to ask."

...

Mattie's tour of the house ended in her bedroom, not that Mac was surprised. She had been a teenager once herself, although she could never imagine bringing someone to her house. Most of the time her father was in a drunken rage and her mother had spent her time licking her wounds, that is, until the day she left.

After Deanna had left, Joe MacKenzie, to his credit, had made an effort to provide a stable home for his daughter, at least at first. He had managed to stay sober for almost a week before falling back into the bottle. Not finding solace at home, Sarah began to run with a like minded crowd. Most of the troublemakers, drug users, and the like seemed to have one thing in common, no one at home who seemed to give a damn.

It wasn't long before Sarah fell into the bottle herself, using its numbing effects to shield her from the reality of the things she was willing to endure, just so she could feel like she was loved. By sixteen, she had lost her virginity to a boy she hardly knew. In fact, she didn't remember all that much about the act itself as she was too drunk to even care. She dragged herself home at three thirty in the morning only to hear her father say, _"If it isn't my stupid tramp of a daughter."_

Her father's reaction had cut her to the heart. She was already ashamed of what she had done and his words only made things worse. _He's right, I am a tramp. So much for giving myself to the man I'm going to marry,_ she thought. By the time she had turned seventeen, Sarah had enough of her home life and she quit school and ran away from home, but by that time it was too late. She was already an alcoholic and it would be another year and a half before she hit bottom and made the decision to dry out.

"Mac, yoo-hoo," said Mattie.

"I'm sorry, Mattie," she replied. "I just got lost in thought. You are a very lucky young lady."

"Yeah, I guess I am," she said, but Mac sensed by her tone that she was bothered by something. But she decided to wait to see if the teenager would open up on her own. Noticing a sunset photo on her wall, she redirected the conversation.

"Did you take this?"

"Yeah, I did," replied Mattie. "Harm and I did some hiking on the Appalachian Trail last summer and I took this from the campsite. Why, do you like it?"

"It's very good work, Mattie."

"That's what Harm said. When his Mom and Dad came to visit last summer, Harm had me show this one to his Mom. I guess she runs an art gallery out in San Diego. Trish had it blown up and has a copy on display in the photography section."

"I've seen his mother's gallery. It's very…posh."

Mattie chucked, "Well, so far, nobody is beating down my door to hire me as a photographer."

"You never know," said Sarah.

"When did you meet Harm's Parents?"

"Quite a while ago, almost nine years," replied Sarah. "Harm and I were investigating a flight mishap out west. His parents invited him for dinner and when he mentioned me, they extended the invitation. Although I get the feeling they were not expecting a woman. According to Harm, she has been trying to fix us up ever since."

"You both should have listened to them. Sometimes our parents do seem to know what's best for us…" Mattie's voice trailed off and just as Mac was about to ask what was wrong, Mattie continued. "Mac, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask," Mac replied. "I don't know if I will be able to give you an answer."

"It's about Harm."

On the day she stood before the family court, Mac had accepted the fact that if she and Harm ever did become involved, Mattie would be a permanent part of their lives. Even though Mattie was back with her real father, there was no guarantee that he would stay sober. _She has the right to know._

"What would you like to ask, Mattie?"

Mac was surprised when the teenager sat down next to her and considered her words before speaking.

"Last spring, Harm and I were having dinner. This was before my father got out of rehab and before I started speaking to him again. Harm and I were talking and I asked him about you."

"Go on," Mac prodded.

"Every time we would get in the subject, his eyes would light up, yet at the same time, he looked so depressed. That was one reason I came to see you last fall…"

"I remember, you asked me to make sure he wasn't too sad."

"Yeah, I know it probably didn't make sense to you, but…well…Harm told me something last spring, and, it's kinda personal, but it's something I think you should really know."

"Let me guess, he told you that he loved me, didn't he?"

"How did you know, or, did you know how he felt then?" asked Mattie.

"A lucky guess, and, no, I didn't…well…at least I didn't know it in my head."

"You're losing me, Mac."

Sarah sighed, _How can I explain my feelings to a fifteen year old girl when I don't even understand them myself._

"Oh, how can I say this without being condescending…okay, Mattie, have you ever met a boy who you really like, yet at the same time, he drives you absolutely crazy to the point that you just want to slap him?"

"Kevin makes me feel that way sometimes. At times, he acts like he is only my friend, and other times…well…you know what I mean."

"Exactly," said Mac. "He makes you think there is something more than just friendship."

"That's right," said Mattie. "Boys can be so dumb at times. It would be so much easier if they would just say they like you."

"Yeah," said Mac, really smiling for the first time. "They can be. They don't really change as they grow up either, well, in some areas. But the feelings and frustration is the same, only thousands of times worse. There are times when I just want to kiss Harm senseless, and then there are other times when I'm ready to kill him. Sometimes I want to do both at once."

"That's too weird," said Mattie.

"That's when you know you're in love."

"I can say I have never felt like that," said Mattie. "I guess I haven't loved a boy yet."

"There is a difference between loving someone and being in love with them," said Mac. "I can't really say if you have loved, but I can be reasonably sure you've yet to be in love. I'll be thirty seven this year, and I have only been in love once in my life."

"With Harm?" asked Mattie.

"With Harm," affirmed Mac. "And I have been for a very long time."

"How long?"

"Six or seven years," replied Mac, "ever since we took the first trip to Russia."

"It took you two that long to figure things out!"

"It was complicated, Mattie. You see, the military has rules, and under those rules, two people, who serve under the same command cannot be involved in a romantic relationship. There are very few exceptions and even then, once they become engaged or married, one of them has to transfer out."

"Well, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"Truthfully, Mattie, Harm and I didn't realize what we were feeling for some time after, and when we did, we were both afraid to act on it. Then we both got involved with other people and…it was just a mess."

"But you're in love with him now, you've told him?"

"Yeah, I did," said Mac. "We've told each other. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Mostly," Mattie replied. "The last time I saw him, Harm looked so sad. So…do the two of you think you'll ever get married?"

Mac chuckled, "You want to know everything, don't you? You remind me of Chloe."

"That's your kid sister, right?"

"Not for real, even though I think of her as such. A few years ago, I was in the Big Sister's mentoring program. That's where I met Chloe. She's about a year or so older than you, and she's been pushing me to marry Harm for years."

"She sounds like someone I'd like to meet," said Mattie. "Between us, you and Harm will be married before summer."

"Chloe is coming out to see me on spring break. I can probably make arraignments for the two of you to meet," said Mac, dodging the question once more.

"That would be so awesome," Mattie squealed. "So, about you and Harm, what's the scoop?"

"Well…right now we are just enjoying being in love. Let's not rush things, okay?"

"That's fair. I'm just so happy for both of you," said Mattie. She paused for a moment listening to the voices downstairs. "I think Harm and Dad finally came in. Dad said he wanted to talk to him alone for a while."

"Did he say why?" asked Mac.

"No, and I got the impression that he didn't want me to ask, but I'm worried about him. Ever since he went to the doctor last week, he's been acting strange."

"Mattie, I'll talk to Harm and see if it is something you need to be concerned over, okay?"

"Thanks, Mac."

...

After dinner, Harm had gone out to grab their suitcases and bring them up to the room he and Mac were sharing. When he entered the bedroom, he found her waiting for him.

"I want to change into my pajamas," she said, as he was closing the door. Once they couldn't be overheard she asked, "Harm, Mattie is worried about her father. What were the two of you talking about?"

"I had a feeling that she knew something was up," Rabb replied. He handed her the envelope Tom had given him earlier in the evening.

"Oh my God," said Mac, after reading the contents. "How long does he have?"

"Six months, maybe a year on the outside. No more than that. In fact, he may be confined to a hospital sometime before the end."

"He needs to tell Mattie, now."

"I agree," Harm replied. "As soon as we can do so without Mattie overhearing the conversation, you and I are going to have another chat with him. There is something else you should know."

Mac looked at him, asking the question with her eyes.

"If you are willing, Tom wants to add your name to the family court petition."

"Me?" she said, clearly surprised. "Why does he need me?"

"I don't think it's a question of need, Mac. Tom trusts you, just like he trusts me. He wants to make sure his daughter is cared for."

Harm could see the turmoil in his girlfriend's eyes and he knew just what this kind of commitment would mean. "Mac, you don't have to do this if it's too…"

"No Harm, I want to be there for her, and for you. It's just…I think I'd like to see how Mattie feels about this. Believe me, Harm, I just had a very long conversation with her and trust me when I tell you, she is a very opinionated young lady. I'm not just going to be able to waltz into her life without her having a say in it."

"Tell me something I don't know, ninja girl."

"So, there is at least one other female on the planet who is impervious to your flyboy smile?"

"At least two," replied Harm. "My charm doesn't work on Grams or Mom either."

She responded with a sly grin and Harm wondered if he had offered too much information.

"When do we talk to Tom?"

"Mattie is going to the movies with Kevin tonight. They'll be back by 23:00. That will give us about three hours before she gets home."

"She needs to know, Harm," said Mac. "If we need to delay our departure tomorrow…"

"Let's see how things play out. They may want to spend some time alone."

Mac nodded in agreement. Quickly she changed into her flannel nightwear while Harm went back down to help Tom with dinner.

...

**13:05 ZULU**

**Local IHOP, near Montgomery Executive Airport:**

**Blacksburg, VA:**

The mood in the SUV was noticeably somber as they pulled into the parking lot. After some prodding last night, Tom had agreed to tell Mattie about his illness and the prognosis. To her credit, Mattie had taken the news better than Mac would have expected, although Mac was sure the reality had not quite hit her yet. When Tom tried to discuss the custody situation with Mattie, she was less than receptive.

_"Dad, you're not even really sick yet. I don't want to talk about this right now."_

With that, Mattie had stormed out of the kitchen and ran to her room.

It was the type of reaction Mac had expected and she was glad she had insisted on asking for Mattie's input, rather than making a decision and telling her about it. Right now, she could be more help as a friend than she would be as a co-guardian with Harm. She couldn't do that if she was alienated from the teenager.

The four of them climbed out of the vehicle and walked into the restaurant. The place was busy, but not so much that they had to wait for a table.

After they had ordered Mattie asked Mac to join her in the ladies room.

Once they were alone, Mattie turned to Mac, "I wanted to apologize for what I said to you last night, or, more like the way I said it."

"You don't need to apologize, Mattie. You just found out that your father is ill…"

"Yeah, Mac, I do," she insisted. "You're Harm's girlfriend now, and, you deserve better from me. I just wasn't ready to deal with it last night. I'm still not, but I'll eventually tell Dad to add your name to the petition when I think I'm ready, that is, if you are okay with it."

"I am okay with this, Mattie. Even if your Dad wasn't sick, you're a part of Harm's life now. I would like you to be part of mine too."

"Even when I'm being a pain in the ass?" Mattie asked.

"I love Harm, even when he's being a pain in the ass, don't I"

"Good point," Mattie replied. "Just think when the two of you start having children of your own, I can babysit for…"

Mac realized that the look on her face must have betrayed her. She tried to hold back the tears but her eyes were soon filled with moisture.

"Mac, what's wrong?"

Mac knew she would have to tell Mattie at some point, but she hadn't yet prepared herself to do so.

"Mattie," Mac began, struggling to hold her emotions in check. "Harm and I don't know if we will be able to have children."

"God, Mac, I didn't know…"

"It's not your fault," said Mac, cutting her off. "I was going to share this with you eventually, but I just needed to prepare myself. Harm's parents don't know, hell, I haven't even told Chloe yet. Harm is the only one who I told and I only told him because he needed to know. Last spring, I started having back pain and the only reason I went to the doctor when I did is because Harm called and made the appointment. That's when they diagnosed me with endometriosis. Because of the condition, my chances of conceiving and carrying a child of my own are greatly reduced. I found out after my follow up procedure in October that my chances are less than five percent."

"You said, Harm needed to know," Mattie began. "Why was that?"

Mac was getting into the subject deeper than she had intended, but the young girl in front of her was most likely going to be her step daughter before the year was out. _She needs to know._

"This is very personal," Mac offered. "When Harriet and Bud had their first child, I was starting to realize that my life was passing me by. I even told Harm that my biological clock was going off and I kept hitting the snooze button. At the time, Harm was about to end a relationship with someone else because he was returning to active flight status, and, to be honest, I wasn't dealing with the fact he was leaving very well either."

Mac paused to collect her thoughts. Even now, six years later, she tended to get emotional when she thought about that day.

"Harm and I made a deal; if neither of us was in a relationship in five years, we would get together and create a child of our own."

"You and Harm were getting together, just to have a baby?" asked Mattie. "I mean, were you going to date, get married, and all that, or were you just going to…you know what I mean?"

"We really never talked about it at the time although I think we both wanted the former…you know…marriage…the whole package. Harm confirmed it, when he told me at the Admiral's night, that the five years was up. I can remember telling him that men just seemed to come and go in my life, except for him. When I asked him if he would always be there, his answer was, yes. I knew then, that I had to tell him."

"Isn't there anything they can do?" asked Mattie. "I know there has been a lot of research done in that area. We talked about it in biology class."

"Harm did some very extensive research into my condition. You know how he is, the eternal optimist," offered Mac. "He did find some useful information on the subject and there are procedures which we can try."

"Did the two of you consider adoption?"

"Yeah, that was one of the ideas Harm suggested. The thing is…well…I've always wanted to carry a child." _Tell her the truth MacKenzie._ "To be perfectly honest, I wanted to carry Harm's child."

"I've heard of this condition before, doesn't it get worse with age?"

"Yeah, Mattie, it does. If Harm and I had gotten together sooner…"

"You're together now," Mattie said, cutting Mac off. "You two need to hurry up and get married and get busy."

Mac couldn't help but chuckle by the way Mattie had phrased it. Getting busy had been foremost on their minds for this weekend. "Are you always this forward?"

"Only when I'm dealing with stubborn people, like Harm," she replied.

"Don't ever tell him I said this, but he's in good company on that note."

"Mac, we're not stubborn, we're determined."

_God, I like this girl!_

...

After they were gone a while, Tom broke the silence, "I never could understand that," he said. "Why in the world do they always go in pairs?"

"Come on Tom, you know as well as I do, they are going to talk," replied Harm, in an attempt to make light. "Probably about us."

"Do you think Mac can get through to her?" Tom asked, suddenly serious. "I felt bad about what Mattie said last night."

"I don't think Mac took offense, Tom. In fact, I think she expected Mattie's reaction. Mac has dealt with teens before and she's quite good at it."

A few minutes later, the ladies rejoined them. Harm noticed that they both looked like they had been crying but their spirits seemed to be much better than when they left. He reached for Mac's hand and she briefly smiled while giving him a reassuring squeeze.


	11. Chapter 11 Flying Lessons:

**A/N:** To answer a queston, yes, I am a guy. I didn't consider the banter between Mac and Mattie as "man-bashing" as these two woman are both in love with Harm, Mac as her significant other, and Mattie as her father. If they didn't care about him, they wouldn't waste their time. My friend Denise has stated, and I quote, "Matt, you have a real flair for writing from a woman's perspetive." I have to admit, this is the first time anyone has entertained the thought that I might be a woman. *grin*

* * *

**Chapter 11; Flying Lessons:**

**16:30 ZULU**

**Montgomery Executive Airport, Blacksburg, VA:**

Harm pushed the throttle forward and guided 'Sarah' down the runway. Three quarters of the way down, he gently pulled back on the stick and the Stearman biplane lifted into the air.

"Oh my God," her voice came over his headset, in the musical tone he had remembered from all those years ago. For good measure he rolled the aircraft once they were a few hundred feet off the ground, and was rewarded by Sarah's musical laughter.

"Are we showing off already, flyboy," she purred to him over the headset.

"This is nothing," he replied. "Wait until we get out of the pattern," he added before keying his radio. "Blacksburg traffic, Stearman 153, departing to the southeast."

Rabb banked the aircraft gently and climbed to three thousand feet. The weather was still unseasonably warm, and expected to remain that way for the rest of the day, although a strong cold front was forecast to bring strong thunderstorms to the Myrtle Beach area by late that evening. _We'll be on the ground long before then,_ he thought.

"Did you pack an extra fuel line," she asked, teasing him about the first flight they had taken together.

"Yup," he replied. "It's in the survival kit." Harm had also packed his 9mm pistol after hearing the news about Sayyid Fahd. While he didn't expect to run into any trouble this weekend, he decided not to take any chances.

"Mac, take her for a minute, while I set the VOR."

"It's been a while. You trust me?"

"Yeah, just keep a compass heading of 160 and try to stay around three thousand feet."

"Okay!"

Mac had started flying with him again soon after Jagathon and she had become quite good at handling the aircraft as far as normal maneuvers went. She still had trouble with the aerobatics, but that was something that took a lot of time and practice.

"I like this much better than the MIG-29," she commented.

"How about a Tomcat?"

"Jury is still out on that one," she replied. "I might be able to get used to it if you didn't pull too many high speed turns."

Rabb knew she would never admit it outright, but he knew she liked the idea of flying around in an F14. He remembered the comment she had made to him about Dalton's car. _It's not a Tomcat._ Harm thought about the time he took Bobbi Latham up while they were investigating the mishap in Italy. Mac had been shocked to learn that Bobbi had suffered no ill effects from the flight, in fact, the congresswoman had loved it. The look of disappointment and jealousy on Mac's face had not gone unnoticed by him. To her credit, she didn't get sick during her brief ride in the MIG-29; _I was too scared to puke,_ she told him later.

Harm finished setting the NAV radio to the VOR frequency of the field near Reidsville, North Carolina. He planned to land there to top off his tanks and maybe grab a quick snack, before taking off for Myrtle Beach.

"Where are we landing for lunch, Harm?" she asked, seemingly reading his thoughts.

"Lunch, after that huge breakfast you ate?" he replied, teasing her about her appetite. "And that was only a couple of hours ago."

"You want me to have energy for later, don't you," she purred suggestively.

"Shiloh Airport," he replied. "It's about eight miles northwest of Reidsville. There is a small diner on the airport grounds, you know, the greasy spoon type. They serve up a burger that rivals the Beltway Special for grease content. Add a large order of fries or onion rings and you should be in seventh heaven."

"Sounds good to me, flyboy," she replied, unperturbed at the underlying criticism of her eating habits. "What do they have for you to eat?"

"Well, they also make decent eggplant parmesan," he replied, giving her his classic flyboy smile even though she isn't able to see it. "You want me to take her, now?"

"Get your own plane, stick-boy," she teased, "this one is mine. She even has my name on her."

"So you're okay with her being a 'her' now?"

"Well, she is named after your grandmother. When you first told me her name was 'Sarah' I pictured some blonde headed bimbo from your past. I have to admit, it made me jealous."

"Blonde headed bimbo? You wound me, MacKenzie," Harm quipped, enjoying the good natured banter. "So you were jealous, huh?"

"A little," she admitted. "We were being chased by sociopathic hillbillies, I've got buckshot in my thigh, and all I could think about was who 'Sarah' was. Pretty pathetic, wouldn't you say?"

"Not really," he offered. "That is, when you consider our history together." He paused a beat before continuing. "So, since 'Sarah' is yours now, does that mean you're going to land her too?"

"No, I think I'll give her back when it's time to land."

"Okay," he said, reclining in his seat with his arms behind his head. "In that case, wake me up when we get to the airport."

"Hey, you can't take a nap, flyboy, I still need a navigator."

"Oh you do, do you," he prodded, thoroughly enjoying the gentle banter. "Not quite ready to solo yet?"

"Maybe, one day," she replied. "You were supposed to teach me how to make a pattern approach, Harm. Whatever happened to those plans?"

"We got sidetracked by Loren's murder, Paraguay, lots of things," said Harm, a melancholy air to his voice.

"Harm, I'm sorry," she offered. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Don't worry about it, Sarah," he said. "Some good did come of it all."

Meeting and caring for Mattie was the one thing that helped him retain his sanity in what had become the lowest time in his life. Suddenly he found himself understanding the nature of his own stepfather's love in a way he had never seen before. _God, Frank, I put you through more hell than you deserved._ Seeming to sense his thoughts, Mac offered, "She loves you, Harm, just as much as she loves her father. Did you know that?"

"Yeah, Mac, I know. You don't know how I miss having her around."

"It's okay to admit that you love her too," Sarah prodded. "You should tell her how you feel."

Harm wasn't sure how to respond. It was true, he loved her as much as any father would love his daughter, but the fact that her real father was back in the picture had muddied the waters. "I'm not sure I can, or, more important, whether I should. As much as I care about her, she's Tom's daughter, not mine."

"That's not quite true, flyboy," said Mac. "In every way that matters, she is your daughter. By helping Mattie reconcile with her real father, you did the right and honorable thing. In my eyes, you earned the right to tell her how much you care."

Mac paused a few moments before she shifted the subject, "Mattie and I had quite a bit to tell each other last night."

"I was wondering why my ears were burning. How many 'I'm frustrated with Harm' stories did the two of you swap?" he asked, good naturedly.

"A few," she replied, coyly, "but only a few. Truth is, Harm, you should be flattered. The most important common bond Mattie and I have right now is you. Don't make the same mistake with Mattie that we made with each other, Harm."

"Do you think she will accept you should her father take a turn for the worst?" asked Harm.

"Mattie will probably see me more like a big sister, than as a mother," replied Mac. "My relationship with Mattie will probably be similar to the one I have with Chloe, at least at first. Besides, in this stage of her life, a father figure is much more important than having a replacement for her mom. I don't think she could do any better than you."

"Thanks, Mac," he said, knowing she had just paid him an incredible compliment.

"You know, Mac, you and I are old enough to have a daughter her age."

"Don't remind me, Harm. I know I'm old enough to be her mother. If Mattie had been ours, I would have been twenty two when she was born and you would have been twenty nine. But she grew up with older parents. Tom and Grace were already in their thirties when she was born. Mattie is very independent; she was taking care of herself when the two of you met."

"Tom has ten years on me," said Harm. "I didn't think about that. So, tell me, why should I be flattered?"

"That should be obvious, flyboy, don't you think?" she asked. "We both love you, each in our own way. If we didn't, you wouldn't be very high on our list of things to talk about. We might pick on you, but it's only because we care."

"That goes both ways, MacKenzie," he offered.

"I'm a Marine. I think I can handle it."

"I don't have any doubt about that," he replied. "So, do you think you can handle a left hand VFR approach?"

"Bring it on, flyboy."

...

**19:23 ZULU**

**15 Miles Northwest of Myrtle Beach, SC:**

It was early afternoon when the Stearman biplane approached its destination. On the flight down, Harm and Mac had shared time at the stick.

Mac was feeling very proud. When they had landed at Shiloh for fuel, Mac had flown most of the approach herself with Harm taking the stick just before they touched down. Of course Harm had talked her through the pattern, but having the chance to fly the approach herself and gauge the distances on her own, she felt a little more confident that she would be able to handle putting the aircraft down if the situation ever called for it. When Harm gunned the engine and pulled them back into the air, Mac became alarmed.

_"Harm, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, Mac," he replied. "That's called a 'Touch and Go'. Once we get back to fifteen hundred feet, I'll hand her back over to you and we'll go around again. When we are on final on the next go around, keep your hand on the stick so you can get an idea as to how she flares."_

They did that three more times. On the fourth touchdown, Mac felt more back pressure on the stick, meaning that she had control of the aircraft. Fighting off a wave of panic, she continued to pull back on the stick until the aircraft began to slowly settle on the tarmac. This time, Harm cut the throttle to idle and they rolled down towards the end of the runway.

_"Congratulations, Mac," he offered. "You just made your first landing."_

_"Really?"_

_"You had the airplane all the way down."_

Harm had called her a natural and while she wasn't big on the aerobatics her boyfriend liked to engage in, she had dearly enjoyed the feeling of freedom being at the controls imparted to her.

_"You really think so, Harm?"_

_"I think you'd make a great pilot. With a little bit of work, you'll be able to solo by the end of the summer."_

"Are you ready to try this again, Mac?" he asked, bringing her thoughts back to the present.

"Sure, bring it on, flyboy."

"It's going to be a bit busier, around here and I'll be talking to ATC a lot more, but the procedure is basically the same once we are cleared into the pattern. When the controller gives us instructions, follow them right away, don't wait for me, okay?"

"Will do," she replied. Mac had flown into controlled airspace with him enough to have learned the terse lingo of the air traffic control system.

"Myrtle Beach Approach, Stearman 153 with you, three thousand feet, request transition Charlie airspace for VFR approach to Grand Strand," Harm said, speaking to the flight controllers.

"Stearman 153, Myrtle Beach Approach, squawk 2753 and ident."

Mac briefly looked down at the avionics stack and noticed that the transponder had been changed from 1200 to the number requested by the controller.

"Squawk 2753, Stearman 153."

"Stearman 153, radar contact, descend to twenty-five hundred and maintain VFR, transition Charlie airspace approved. Report visual contact with airfield."

Mac gently eased the stick forward until her vertical speed indicator read 500 feet per minute, while at the same time keeping an eye on the altimeter.

"Descend to twenty-five hundred, maintain VFR, will report visual contact of airfield, Stearman 153," Harm said. "How ya' doin', Mac?"

"You tell me, flyboy," she retorted playfully. "You're supposed to be the instructor."

"Make sure you keep looking around," he replied. "Don't stay focused on the instruments."

Mac silently cursed herself as she craned her head around to make sure she wasn't flying into another aircraft. As she looked back at the instrument panel, she began to pull out of the gentle dive and settled at their assigned altitude.

"Good job, Mac," Harm commented. "We should be able to see the airfield in another few minutes."

"There's a lot to keep track of," she replied. "How do the commercial pilots keep track of it all?"

"Well, for one thing, they split the duties," he stated. "The pilot flies the plane while the copilot sets the radios, watches the engines and such. Most of the time, they are using the autopilot, except during takeoff, landing, and bad weather."

"Kinda' takes the fun out of it, don't you think?"

"You might think differently on a transoceanic flight when you need to use the head."

"Harm!" she complained, being suddenly reminded of a need to use the ladies room.

"Oops, sorry," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to mention that."

"Like hell you didn't."

"Relax, Mac," he said. "We'll be on the ground in less than ten minutes. You can go potty then."

_You're damn lucky you're out of reach right now, Harmon Rabb._ Her attention was diverted when she saw an aircraft in the distance seeming to disappear into a strip of white. "Is that the airfield off to the left, Harm?"

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "Once I report in, ATC will probably have you drop to two thousand feet. At that point, I'll switch to the control tower frequency and we'll take our directions directly from the tower."

Mac began to notice that there was much more traffic around her than there had been at the other fields. Her self confidence began to evaporate. "Harm, there's a lot of other planes flying around here."

"Most of them are flying out of Myrtle Beach International," he replied. "As you can see, they are all well above us and being directed by the flight controllers. The only ones we need to be concerned with are any that are below twenty-five hundred."

"Myrtle Beach Approach, Stearman 153, have visual contact for Grand Strand," Harm said, speaking over the radio.

"Stearman 153, descent to two thousand feet and contact tower on 124.6. Good day."

"Descend to two thousand and contact tower on 124.6, Stearman 153, Thank you."

While Harm switched frequencies Mac eased the aircraft down another five hundred feet.

"Grand Strand Tower, Stearman 153 with you, requesting landing clearance."

"Stearman 153, Grand Strand Tower, radar contact established, winds are out of the southwest at 5, altimeter 3002, active runway is 23, left-hand approach. You are number two to land after Cessna on base. Enter the pattern on cross field approach."

As they flew perpendicular to the runway, Mac eased the plane to the left flying over the center of the runway at a ninety degree angle. She waited about another minute before asking, "Is this far enough, Harm?"

"Perfect," he replied. "Start your downwind leg and descend to twelve hundred feet. Don't turn base until we are cleared for final. Did you set your altimeter?"

"Yup," she affirmed. "3002"

"Good, remember you want to descend at about 700 feet per minute."

"Okay," she replied, feeling some of her courage returning. Mac eased the aircraft down in a slightly steeper dive; all while watching what was going on around her. As she pulled the aircraft back into level flight the radio squawked to life.

"Stearman 153, you are cleared for final approach."

Mac eased the vintage biplane into a graceful left-hand turn as Harm reported to ATC.

"Stearman 153, turning base now, understand clear for final approach."

Seeing the field off to her left, Mac had a better idea where she was, and relaxed a bit more. She brought the aircraft into another turn and began her final descent. The wind was forcing her to the left and she had to apply some right rudder to keep the plane on the centerline.

"Okay, Mac, you're doing fine," Harm said, buoying her self confidence. "Just a slight bit of crosswind."

As the plane approached the ground, the crosswind diminished and Mac began to flare when the wheels were a few feet off the ground. The vintage Stearman gently settled onto its landing gear and rolled out, bleeding off the excess speed.

"Nice landing, Marine," quipped Harm. "I think you may have found your second calling."

"Stearman 153, exit runway at next turnoff and follow taxiway bravo to general aviation parking."

Harm had taught her how to taxi the airplane a few years ago and she guided the biplane off the runway and onto the taxiway. A few minutes later she pulled to an unused tie down spot and stood on the brakes. Behind her, Harm set the parking brake and killed the engine.

The couple spent the next twenty minutes securing the aircraft and covering the open cockpits with the custom tarp Harm had made for the times he parked the aircraft outside.

"I enjoyed that Harm," she said as they walked towards the terminal with their luggage in tow. "Be honest, Harm, You really think I could learn to fly."

"I told you, Mac. You're a natural. You handled that crosswind like a pro. You know, Mattie just started taking flying lessons too. She just finished ground school; if you're good, you can do that in a weekend. You can be in the air, learning to fly in a couple of weeks, if you're interested."

Mac pondered the idea for a few moments. Flying was something that her boyfriend enjoyed immensely, even if he was doing it for the Navy. If it wasn't for the fact that she tended to get motion sickness in the back of a fighter, she probably would have enjoyed her flight in a Tomcat as much as Bobbi did.

"I just wish I didn't get sick in the back of a jet," she said.

"You can get over that, Mac," he offered, "especially if you get some hours under your belt."

"I'd like to think about it some more," she finally said, as they entered the terminal. As they walked up to the counter, Harm was greeted warmly by the middle aged man on the other side.

"Harmon Rabb, good to see you again," said the man, extending his hand.

"Hello, Jeff," he replied. "I'm going to be parking my bird here for a few days, assuming you're not overbooked."

"Not a problem, Harm, in fact, I knew you were coming. Your mom and dad paid for your landing and parking fees; you're good until Monday."

"You shouldn't have let them do that, Jeff…"

"Really, Harm, argue with your mother? That's a loser and you know it. She told me that you were bringing someone very special down for the weekend and she wasn't taking no for an answer."

"That sounds like Trish," remarked Mac, secretly amused at his discomfiture.

"You must be the special someone Mrs. Burnett was referring to…"

"I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners," interjected Harm. "Jeff Evens, this is Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie."

"Hello, Colonel," offered Jeff, extending his hand. "A pleasure, ma'am, I'm sure."

"Call me Mac," she replied, taking his hand.

"I take it you met Harm in the military, ma'am, but you're obviously not a squid."

"Hardly," replied Mac.

"She's a jarhead, Jeff, just like you."

"Watch it, squid" countered Mac, "you're outnumbered here. How long have you been out, Jeff?"

"Retired ten years ago as a gunnery sergeant, ma'am," he replied. "You must be a JAG lawyer."

"Yeah, I am, Gunny. I'm surrounded by squids, but the new CO is a Marine so that evens the playing field just a bit."

"I heard about that, ma'am. He's only the second Marine to serve as the Judge Advocate General. I'm willing to bet that frosted a few admirals' sixes."

Mac found herself laughing aloud. "More than that, I think," she added.

"I know of at least one Navy captain who wasn't pleased," offered Harm.

Jeff finished filling out a few forms and handed them to Rabb to sign. "Your rental is being brought around now," he said.

"Rental?"

"Your father wanted to make sure you had a real vehicle to drive while the two of you were down here," Jeff offered, motioning to the Jeep Grand Cherokee being pulled beside the exit. "You know how he is about promoting Chrysler products. By the way, how's your daughter, Mattie?"

"She's well, Jeff. Thanks for asking, although she's not my daughter. I was her court appointed guardian." replied Harm, turning to Mac. "Mom and Frank were down here last summer so I brought Mattie down to meet them."

"She's not with you anymore?"

"Mattie has been living back with her father since October," Harm replied.

The tone of sadness in his voice was not lost on Mac and she added, "Harm helped Mattie and her father reconcile their differences and facilitated bringing them back together."

"I knew Mattie had met your parents, but I didn't know it was down here," she added.

"You two are all set," said Jeff. "Take care, Harm. Semper-Fi, Colonel."

"Semper-Fi, Gunny," replied Mac.

As the couple walked towards the exit, Mac leaned into him to say, "Your parents are so good to you, Harm."

"My parents have never done anything like this before; they really love you, Mac."

...

Across the field, the two Middle Eastern men had watched the vintage biplane touchdown with great interest.

"You see, Nasif," said the elder of the two. "It is as I said it would be.

A short time later, a black late model Jeep Cherokee was pulled around to the front door. The tall aviator, and his taller than average female companion, strolled out to the waiting vehicle; stowing away their belongings before climbing in. They soon pulled out of the parking lot and headed south on the main road. Zakir followed them out and stayed several car lengths behind.

...

Another late model sedan was also trailing behind the vacationing couple. Inside, the dark suited man spoke into a surveillance radio. "I have the package in sight. I have one vehicle to check; Florida registration, 165-DLF."

After finding out the suspect vehicle was a rental, the agent followed along staying close enough not to lose the car in the lead.


	12. Chapter 12 Cannon Fodder:

**Chapter 12; Cannon Fodder:**

**20:00 ZULU**

**Burnett Beachfront Home, Myrtle Beach, SC:**

As Harm approached the turnoff to his family's beach front home, he glanced up at his rearview mirror noticing the vehicle that had been behind them since they left the airport. He didn't become suspicious until he and Mac had stopped at the grocery store to pick up things they would need for the next day.

Beside him, Mac had already sensed something was wrong and to his surprise, she pulled her own weapon from her handbag and chambered a round.

"Did you bring a weapon with you, Harm," she asked.

"Yeah, mine is in the trunk, packed in my luggage. I'm going to pull over and see if this guy goes on by. If he is following us, I don't want to lead him to the house."

Harm pulled to Jeep over to the side of the road and grabbed the map off the dashboard. Quickly, he opened it and pretended to be lost as the late model sedan continued on by. It was then that he noticed a second vehicle which slowed enough for him to catch a glimpse of the driver. The dark suit and sunglasses screamed 'federal agent' and Rabb assumed he was CIA.

"There goes one of Clay's minions," he commented dryly.

"Both cars had Florida tags…"

"Which means they were probably rentals," he interjected.

"Do you think the first vehicle was one of Sayyid's men?" she asked.

"Tell you the truth, Mac, I wouldn't have given it a second thought had it not been for the fact they were still behind us after we left the grocery store. We were there for at least thirty minutes."

"Thirty two minutes, sixteen seconds," replied Mac, with her usual precision for timekeeping.

"Mac, we've known each other for what, nine years? Are you ever going to tell me how you do that?"

"You won't believe me," she offered.

"Try me."

"Well…as much as I would like people to believe otherwise, the truth is, I don't know how I do it. I just know I've had the ability since before I was a teenager."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said. "I guess it's a gift. Kinda like my ability to know where certain people are. I know it's silly but…"

"There is nothing silly about it, Mac," interjected Harm. "You saved my life with that gift of yours. When I defended your ability to Sturgis, he must have thought I had gone over the deep end. I would have paid real money to have seen the look on his face that day."

Harm turned his attention to the road in the distance. Seeing that neither vehicle had turned around, he pulled the car back onto the blacktop and continued on his way. The turnoff to his parent's beach house was just a few hundred yards further and Harm turned onto the gravel surfaced access road.

"This must be a mess during the rainy season," observed Mac, as they traveled down the rough surfaced path.

"That's why Frank always rents a four wheel drive vehicle to get down here. The road has a tendency to get washed out in heavy rains. The city DPW is constantly re-grading and adding gravel. A few years ago, the city council took up a proposal to asphalt the access road, but the property owners banded together and squashed it."

"Why would they do that?" asked Mac.

"To keep down the unwanted traffic, sightseers and such," Harm replied. "It also helps to keep the speeds down on the roads."

"Must be nice," Mac commented. "Sorry, Harm, I shouldn't have said that. It's just that…well…your parents are so down to earth and I sometimes forget how affluent they are."

"God help us when they spoil our children…sorry…I…"

"Don't apologize, Harm," Mac interjected. "I think about it too."

Harm came to the end of the road and turned left at the stop sign. The road turned to asphalt once again, but it was still in a state of disrepair. Houses appeared on both side of the street, but, for the most part, they were separated by as significant amount of land. "My parent's place is at the end of the road," he said. "When this subdivision was built back in the seventies, each plot of land was a ten acre square. Most of the owners have held onto the original plots, but there is an increasing amount of pressure to subdivide and sell. If you go south on this road, all of the plots are down to an acre and the new owners paid top dollar."

"Being so close to the shore, don't they have a problem with hurricanes?" asked Mac.

"My parent's house has survived a couple category two storms since it was built. That's not counting Hurricane Hugo in 1989 which it the Charlestown area as a category four storm. As it sits up on a bluff, it is less susceptible to storm surge than some of the other properties. Hugo destroyed several homes in this area."

"It sounds like it was well built," Mac commented.

"Frank originally bought the land as an investment, and decided to build a vacation home there. This was before he met Mom. Everything he put in that house is well above code and I'd be willing to bet that you could ride out a hurricane there if need be."

"Thanks, but no thanks," replied Mac. "Hurricane Isabel cured me of any curiosity I might have had. I rode that one out at home, alone."

"When was this, Mac?"

"September of 2003, you were working for the CIA, somewhere on the planet," she offered.

"Where was Clay? I thought the two of you were…"

"Harm, Clay and I didn't become an item until after you returned to JAG. If you had returned my phone calls, you would have known that." There was a note of irritation and sadness in her tone.

"I just assumed that the two of you became involved when I went to work for the CIA…"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you what happens when you assume?" she shot back, and this time there was no mistaking the hurt in her voice.

"Point taken, counselor," he replied, his voice subdued. The last thing he wanted to do was say something that would cause a fight between them, especially this weekend. He glanced in her direction, expecting to see anger, but her expression was one of sadness. Her chocolate brown eyes glistened with moisture. He reached for her hand and she gave him a reticent smile.

"Harm," she continued in a kinder, almost pleading voice. "This weekend, I don't want to talk about Clay, Paraguay, Mic, Renee, or any of the other poor decisions we've made over the years. I'd like to focus on us and our future together, okay?"

"Okay," he replied. "I'm sorry if I was being insensitive, Sarah."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I guess I still have some garbage to clean out."

The road suddenly smoothed out as they approached the house set up on a ridge. Even from a distance, one could see that the property was very well maintained, but the dark colored vehicle in the driveway set Harm's senses on high alert.

"Were you expecting company, Harm?"

"No, Mac, I wasn't," he replied. "But I'll bet a year's pay I know who our uninvited guest is."

It was then that he noticed that the front door was open and he could see a figure moving around near the entrance. Harm pulled the Jeep up to the garage next to the government tagged vehicle. As he got out of the car, a lone figure stepped out of the house.

"Clayton Webb," Harm remarked dryly. "Have you no shame at all?"

"Hello, Rabb," replied the intel agent. "Is that any way to treat someone who is trying to save your ass?"

"That's beside the point, Webb. Just what the hell are you doing inside my parent's house?"

"Making sure it is safe. Christ, Rabb, you may not care about your own safety, but I would at least expect you to watch out for Sarah's."

"Harm and I can take care of ourselves, Clay," Mac said, as she rounded the car. She still had her weapon in hand. "I could have killed you just now."

"Too late for that," countered Webb. "You did that when you walked away…"

"Go to Hell, Clay," she spat, emotional pain evident in her voice.

"Haven't you caused her enough pain already, Webb?" rasped Harm.

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw bricks," Webb spat back. "The house is clear and I've got agents staked out on the property edge. You have my number if you need me, Rabb."

The CIA agent pushed by him and headed for his car. "See you around, Sarah," he added as he climbed into his vehicle. Webb slammed the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. A few seconds later he was out of sight.

Mac made her way to Harm's side and circled his arm with hers. "He's a real bastard," she said.

"He's also right," Harm said wistfully. "I've hurt you far more than he has…"

"No!" she replied, cutting him off. "Don't you even think about buying into his lies. In all the years I've known you, you've never done anything blatantly malicious. Inept, maybe, but never out of ill intent," she added.

Before he could open his mouth to object, she stepped in front of him, taking his mouth with her own, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When they both came up for air, he said, "That's a pretty convincing closing argument, counselor."

"Wait until you see my arguments for mitigation," she replied saucily. "Let's get these groceries in the house. I want to grab a quick shower and change so you can take me to see the sights."

...

**20:30 ZULU**

**JAG HQ, Falls Church, VA:**

Commander Sturgis Turner was finishing the weekly case status report when Petty Officer Coates tapped on his open door.

"Petty Officer, what can I do for you?" he asked politely.

"Sir, General Cresswell just called. He is returning from a meeting in the Pentagon and would like to see you in his office in ten minutes."

"Very well, Petty Officer, thank you."

Coates snapped to attention and spun on her heel to leave when Sturgis addressed her again. "Before you go?"

"Sir?"

"This is a delicate question so to set your mind at ease, your answer will be held in the strictest of confidence."

"I understand, sir."

"Have you had any dealings with Lt. Vukovic?"

"Nothing of substance, although he told me to call him 'Vic' instead of Lieutenant to which I very politely declined, sir."

"I see," replied Turner. "Anything else?"

"Nothing that I can pin a conviction on, sir," she offered.

Turner knew she was holding something back and he rephrased his question. "But there is something that made you uncomfortable, am I correct?"

"Well, sir, he seemed to be looking at Colonel MacKenzie kind of funny."

"Was he casually looking in her direction, or was he leering at her?"

"Definitely the later, sir," she replied. "Commander, I know the difference between the look a man gives you when he finds you attractive and the one he gives you when he is undressing you in his mind. I got the same look from him the second day he was here. It really creeped me out, sir."

"Did you inform the General?"

"No, sir, I didn't. If I were to use that as criteria for sexual harassment, I would have had to report half the men on the _Seahawk_ when I was posted aboard her. But none of them ever gave me the chills like Lt. Vukovic did."

"In light of what he did to Colonel MacKenzie, do you wish to make a formal complaint?"

"No, sir, but thank you for asking," she replied. "I think the Lieutenant is in enough trouble without me adding to it. If he looks at me funny again, I'll throw him a red light and tell him to stop. If he doesn't take the hint, then I will file a complaint, sir."

"Thank you Petty Officer, carry on."

"Aye aye, sir."

Sturgis considered everything that Jennifer had told him. She was the third enlisted and fifth person in the office to admit feeling uncomfortable around the troublesome new lawyer who Lt. Mayfield had dubbed, Lt. Sleezavic.

Vukovic had been gone most of the day as the General had ordered him to Quantico, supposedly to accompany him for his annual PFTs. Sturgis planned on asking the General how the young Navy sailor had faired on the field. Marine Corps PFTs were no joke, Turner knew. When he was the Force Judge Advocate at COMSUBPAC, he had taken the qualification tests, primarily as a motivator to stay in shape, but doing so also earned him the respect of the Marines assigned to the base. He prided himself for holding the endurance running record, much to the chagrin of Harm and Mac who competed with him in the Jagathon event.

Sturgis grabbed his now finished report and made his way to Cresswell's office. The door was open and Tuner knocked on the frame.

"Come on in, Commander," said Cresswell. "Close the hatch behind you and have a seat."

Sturgis came to attention briefly before sitting down.

"When is that last time you were out on a sub, Commander?"

"November of 2003, sir, aboard the _USS Cathedral City_," said Turner. "It was the sub that rescued the ten North Korean sailors after their own mini-sub struck a reef."

"As I recall, you suffered some fallout over that incident, is that correct?" asked the General.

"Yes sir, I did," replied Turner. "Lucky for me, I had a very good attorney to represent me in the case."

"Yes, I've been reviewing Lt. Commander Roberts' record. I may have been a little premature in my opinion of the man. Admiral Chegwidden obviously saw something in him that I missed. His actions yesterday took me by surprise."

"That would make two of us, sir, although I will contend that Roberts deserved his promotion."

Cresswell looked down at the report on his desk. "This morning at 05:53 zulu, the _USS Cheyenne_ was involved in an underwater collision with an Iranian sub in the Persian Gulf. Both sides are claiming that the other side deliberately rammed the opposing vessel. _Cheyenne_ has since been withdrawn to the Arabian Sea and is scheduled to rendezvous with the _JFK_ battle-group. I'm assigning the JAG-MAN investigation to you. Get out there, find out what happened on our side, and report back to me."

"I've already heard the scuttlebutt about that incident, General. Has the skipper been relieved of duty, sir?"

"Not yet," replied Cresswell. "It seems the Commander Taylor has some very powerful friends in Washington, most notably, his father, Senator Jonathan Taylor, who is Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Taylor is from Texas and just happens to be close friends with the President."

"I think I understand the problem, sir," remarked Turner "although, Commander Kevin Taylor does have a good reputation in the submarine community."

"I'm glad to see you've done your homework," said Cresswell. "I don't want to railroad a good man just because of who his father is, or isn't. Get the facts, and we'll go from there. I want you to take Lt. Vukovic along with you. As there are normally no women on a submarine, our local Lorathio won't have any distractions and we can get a good idea as to his investigative skills, or lack thereof."

"How did the Lieutenant do on the PFTs today, General?"

"He squeaked by, barely," Cresswell remarked. "I expected better, although his time on the endurance run wasn't too bad. Do we have any other problems concerning the Lieutenant's behavior?"

"I took statements from three enlisted women whom Vukovic has made uncomfortable with his actions, all on the premise of confidentiality. None of the incidents described would warrant an investigation on their own, however, in light of the incident with Colonel MacKenzie, I could make an argument that this evidence qualifies as a pattern of behavior. But with Lt. Mayfield openly admitting the animosity between her and Vukovic, her testimony would be problematic should this go to an Article 32, sir."

"And in the incident with Commander Danby, Vukovic was the junior officer," finished Cresswell. "I think at this point, we are going to have to wait and see if he has learned from his close call."

"I concur, sir," replied Turner.

"Very well, Commander. Petty Officer Coates will see to your travel arraignments. You had better catch the Lieutenant before he secures for the day. Dismissed."

Turner snapped to his feet. "Aye aye, sir."

...

**20:40 ZULU**

**CIA Headquarters, Langley, VA:**

Harrison Kershaw had been the DDI ever since the fallout from the _Angelshark_ inquiry had torpedoed his predecessor's career. The incident would have ended Clayton Webb's tenure had it not been for Kershaw's intervention, which is why he was more than slightly irritated at the younger man's seemingly unappreciative attitude.

"Clayton, I will not argue with you about this," he said to Webb, over the phone. "The decision has been made. We keep Rabb and MacKenzie in the dark until we are ready to move. If we tell them now, it not only puts them at risk, it jeopardizes the entire operation. Was the Burnett residence secure?"

"Yeah, Rabb and MacKenzie arrived an hour ago, and left to go into town thirty minutes later. I've got the whole area staked out. There was one vehicle which followed them from the airport but it continued when Rabb pulled over."

"Do you think he knew he was being followed?"

"He knew something was amiss. Sarah had her weapon drawn when they approached the house," Clay replied.

"Keep a close eye on them, Clay. If our sources are correct, Fahd's men are going to make a grab for our two friends this weekend and I want to get them alive when they do."

"Are you sure they are going to try and abduct one of them? They could just be here to shoot them."

"That would be unfortunate," replied Kershaw. "The best chance we have of uncovering the mole is by letting this operation run its course. It's the nature of the business, Clay, just like you told Colonel Mackenzie."

With that, Kershaw hung up the phone and turned in his chair to look out the window. He had been a company man for almost thirty years, long enough to have known Webb's father. _If only you knew, Clay,_ he thought to himself.

Ever since the botched mission in Paraguay, Kershaw had kept a close eye on the younger man. Webb's ordeal in the Chaco Boreal had shaken him more than he would admit, and Kershaw was concerned over that. Because he knew the agency had been compromised, Kershaw and his boss had crafted a complex plan of misinformation and deception that was designed to identify and rout out the source of the leak. Normally he would have taken Clayton Webb into his confidence, but knowing that Webb still held onto some residual guilt by endangering his friends, he couldn't be trusted with the truth. _Especially knowing that he is still in love with Sarah MacKenzie,_ he thought.

Kershaw both admired and respected the two JAG lawyers who were unknowingly caught in the middle of this operation. Individually, they would both make good field agents, as a team, they were going to be unstoppable, _assuming they survive the next forty eight hours._

...

**23:00 ZULU**

**Pier 14, Myrtle Beach, SC:**

Hand in hand, Harm and Mac walked up the angled ramp to the main deck of what was known as 'Pier 14' one of the most famous fishing piers on the Carolina coast. Bypassing the restaurant for now, the couple continued out until they came to the end of the pier. Being early in the season only a few fishermen (and women) were lined up on the sides with their lines in the water.

They walked in silence just enjoying warmer than normal weather, and the fact that they were together. When they came to the end, Mac leaned with her back against the railing so the sun could warm her face. Harm chose to lean sideways so he could look out over the ocean yet still be able to see Mac in all her beauty.

"You know," began Harm, "this is one of the very few piers to survive Hurricane Hugo when it hit in 1989."

"1989," Mac began. "I turned twenty-one that year. Uncle Matt had managed to get me into the NROTC program at University of Minnesota. It was tough, Harm, in many ways harder than law school. I only had a year and a half of sobriety under my belt and falling off the wagon then could have meant a court martial. If gave real meaning to the saying 'One day at a time.'"

"But you did it, Mac."

"I don't know what scared me more, being court martialed and drummed out of the service, or disappointing Uncle Matt. I owe him everything I am, Harm."

Through the corner of his eye, he could see that she was tearing up. He reached out and placed hand over hers.

"Uncle Matt pointed you in the right direction and even opened a few doors," Harm offered tenderly, "but you chose to walk through them. Don't ever sell yourself short. He's very proud of you."

"Leavenworth has been hard on him. Despite what he did, he's a good man, and he doesn't belong there…"

Seeing that she was about to lose it, Harm took her into his arms and held her for a while before speaking again.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah," he said while stroking her hair. "I did everything I could…"

"Don't apologize," she replied, cutting him off. "If it wasn't for you, Uncle Matt would have gotten life." She had regained most of her composure. "He'll be out next year but he's facing dismissal. That's going to kill him as much as being in prison."

"Mac, I haven't given up on him," Harm offered. "Every year since the conviction, I've filed a request for clemency. This year, we're trying something different; I had him draft a letter asking for a Presidential pardon."

"I didn't know about any of this," she said absently. "You never gave up on him?"

"I'm still his attorney, Mac, regardless of how or where our relationship has gone. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner, but…"

"I know, Harm, attorney-client privilege, but why didn't he tell me this, and why are you telling me now?"

"I don't think he wanted you to worry," Harm replied. "The last time I spoke with him I asked him to allow me to tell you what we were doing."

"Uncle Matt always did like you," she offered. "Maybe I should have listened to him sooner."

"Oh, care to share that bit of information with me?"

"When I joined the Marine Corps, Uncle Matt told me to stay away from smooth talking sailors, and I would run into my share of them during my career. In one of his first letters from prison, he recanted that…well…at least in part."

"Just what did he say," asked Harm, even though he already knew the answer.

"Uncle Matt, told me that no self respecting Marine would ever marry a squid, but, if it was a squid I was going to marry, that squid should be you."

"It's funny you bring that up, Mac," he said, feeling the small box in his pocket. "In a lot of ways, I can be considered old fashioned, and seeing that your Uncle is the patriarch of your family, I felt that I needed his blessings."

"Blessings?" she asked, suddenly wary, "blessings for what?" She was being cagy but Harm could see the anticipation in her eyes. _It's now or never._ He removed the small box from the pocket of his jacket and heard her breath catch as she spotted it. Dropping to one knee, he took her hand.

"Sarah," he began, "from the day I met you in the rose garden, I knew there was something special between us. At first, I thought it was friendship, and you are my very closest and dearest friend. But at some point, and I don't know exactly when it happened, I fell in love with you. And because of my inaction, I almost lost you forever."

As he looked up at her, he could see the moisture glistening in her eyes, but her smile told him that these were happy tears and he pressed on. Opening the box, he removed the ring and held it before her.

"I've had this for over two years," he said. "The setting is new, but the stone came from the ring Dad gave Mom when he asked for her hand in marriage."

Sarah had her other hand over her mouth and he could see the emotion overflowing in her eyes.

"Sarah MacKenzie, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"


	13. Chapter 13 A Promise Made:

**Chapter 13; A Promise Made:**

**23:15 ZULU**

**Pier 14, Myrtle Beach, SC:**

When Sarah caught sight of the ring box, her mind was flooded with thoughts from the past. Ever since she was a child, Sarah had always believed that a marriage proposal was supposed to be one of the most romantic moments a man and woman would share in their lifetime. At night, between the drunken outbursts from her father, and the screams from her mother, a very young Sarah MacKenzie would fantasize about the day in the future when her own prince charming would come riding out of the blue, and take her away from the emotional pain and suffering. He would sweep her off her feet and they would live happily ever after.

As she grew from a child to an adolescent young teenager, she knew that her childhood dreams were really nothing more than that. Real life didn't work that way. By the time she was seventeen, Sarah was looking for another way out; any way out. The guy she was seeing was a couple of years older than her and had a motorcycle. Late one night Chris came by the house and found Sarah waiting for him on the porch. With just a knapsack stuffed with a few keepsakes and as much of her clothing that she could carry, Sarah asked, _"Take me away from here Chris, I don't care where we go, just get me out of here."_

At the time, Sarah still naïve enough to believe that two people could live on nothing but love, but the harsh realities of life soon came crashing in on them. For a while, they roamed the state, doing odd jobs to make enough money to cover booze, gas, some food, and an occasional room for the night. This went on for about six weeks before Sarah began to realize they couldn't live this way. When she pressured Chris about it, he came up with an alternate plan. It went without saying, that the proposal she received from Chris was a little more than a drunken whim.

"_Hey, let's go get married."_

At the time, she was so drunk that she hardly remembered the question the next day, never mind her own answer. Still, it was better than living at home with a drunken father who belittled her every chance he had. So when Christopher Ragle reaffirmed his drunken request, she said yes without hesitation. That was twenty years ago and for all intents and purposes, the marriage lasted less than two years.

The second time a man proposed to her, she had thirteen years of sobriety under her belt save one relapse two years prior. In contrast to the way Chris had asked, Mic had been quite romantic in the way he had posed the question. Had she been in love with him, the moment would have been perfect. But, the honest truth was, Mic wasn't the man that she had pinned her hopes on. Two nights prior, the man she truly loved, had unwittingly broken her heart, when he turned down her offer to move their relationship forward. Somehow, she had interpreted his answer of 'not yet' as a no, and what she conceived as an outright refusal, left her both vulnerable and exposed. This was a situation that Mic Brumby had unwittingly taken advantage of.

Sarah accepted Mic's ring, on the condition that she would wear it on her right hand as a sign of friendship rather than engagement, partly out of a sense of obligation. She and Mic had never really dated and she needed time to think about his offer of marriage. Since Mic would still be in Australia, Sarah assumed that she would have some time to consider his offer objectively. And although she would never ever admit it, subconsciously she had hoped someone else would reconsider their own choice. Her plan backfired miserably. Not only did her decision push the man she loved, further away, it pushed him into the arms of another woman.

When Mic resigned from the RAN and moved to Washington, her confusion over the situation became compounded further. Harm and Renee were moving closer to marriage, at least in her eyes, and she began to accept the fact that he was lost to her forever. Soon after Mic had left the law firm which employed him, over the incident with the Roberts, he began to consider returning to Australia. One night, he gave Sarah an ultimatum, unless she gave him a reason to stay, he was going to return home. Knowing she wasn't getting any younger, and seeing what she thought was her last chance at happiness ready to walk out the door, she made the decision to move the ring to her left hand. Years later, Sarah would see this as a moment of desperation rather than the hallmark moment it should have been.

When Harm finally professed his love the day of the blizzard, Sarah knew it was a given that they would be spending the rest of their lives together. She didn't really know how he would pose the question, only that he soon would, and she was enjoying every moment of their newfound togetherness. Sarah half expected him to ask her one night over dinner in the privacy of one of their apartments. She certainly never expected him to drop to one knee in a public setting with countless numbers of people looking on.

"I've had this for over two years," he said, his words bringing her back to the present. "The setting is new, but the stone came from the ring Dad gave Mom when he asked for her hand in marriage."

Sarah had placed her other hand over her mouth as she tried to come to grips with what was happening. The stone in this diamond ring was another family heirloom and the significance of that fact wasn't lost on her.

As tears filled her eyes, she was no longer able to see him when he asked, "Sarah MacKenzie, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She was so overcome with emotion that she was unable to find her voice. Blinking the tears from her eyes she saw his expression morph for one of undying affection to one of worry and despair. Not wanting him to misunderstand her silence she began nodding her head briskly.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice brightening slightly.

"Yes," she managed to squeeze out barely above a whisper. A few seconds later, he had slipped the ring onto her left hand and was gathering her into his arms. Hoots and hollers from the onlookers had barely made their way to her consciousness as, for the moment; her whole world comprised of just the two of them. For what seemed to be forever, she would never know for sure as her sense of timing had flown out the window, she held onto him for dear life, unable to squelch the tears of joy that were streaming down her face.

"What took you so long, flyboy," she asked as soon as she had regained her voice.

There were any number of times in their past where she would have said yes without hesitation. In the hotel, the night before they returned from Russia, the day he left JAG to return to flying, that ill fated night on the ferry in Sydney Harbor, the hotel room in Paraguay, and one time she was sure he would never guess; Christmas Eve 2003. The day she stood up for him in family court. She had a date with Clay that night, before the she and Webb had gotten serious, and seeing Harm and Mattie at the Wall had almost been enough for her to cancel her plans with the intel agent. _God, Harm, if only you knew._

Despite all of her self-recriminations and regrets, she knew she had finally been blessed with the one perfect moment she had dreamed of as a child.

"I've always been afraid you would turn me down," he replied, his voice colored heavy in emotion. For the first time she realized that he was holding her just as tightly as she was holding him. "Of all the women I've ever known, Sarah, you're the only one who could have broken my heart by saying no."

She pulled away just enough to look at his face. His eyes were also glistened with moisture and she reached up to caress his cheek. "Two years ago, Harm, that was before the mess in Paraguay. I had been waiting for you to give me an indication you wanted to move forward, why did you think I would have said no?"

"I was afraid of what it would do to me if you did. Hell Mac, we weren't even dating, yet. With our baby deal coming due in less than a year, I…I…" She put her finger to his lips to keep him from stammering.

"I love you, Harm, I'm in love with you. Never, _ever_ doubt that."

"I'm in love with you too, Sarah. I have been for a very long time."

"Why five years?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Our baby deal; why did you set a date five years into the future when we both know you wanted to be with me, and I wanted to be with you?" she asked, remembering the question Vicky McCool had asked her in October. The question she really didn't have an answer for.

"Mac, I was going to sea," he replied. "I figured on flying for at least that long. Half of that time would have been off a carrier halfway around the world. It wouldn't have been fair to you, leaving you to have our child alone while I was out to sea, only seeing each other six months out of the year…"

"Harm, Navy wives deal with that all the time," she countered. "And when their husbands come home, they get to do this…" She drew him into a long deep kiss, ignoring the repeated round of hooting and howling from the small crowd which had gathered to watch two people pledge a promise of marriage.

When they drew apart, she said, "Of course, by me saying yes, that means you have to feed me for the rest of my life, sailor."

"You're hungry, again?"

"Yeah, must be the emotional stress; it's worn me out. You might have to carry me to the restaurant," she quipped, totally unprepared for him to take her request seriously. Sarah let out a surprised yelp when she felt her feet being swept out from underneath her. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support as he started back towards the shore. As he carried her she began to relax in his arms thinking; _maybe dreams come true after all._

...

Hiding behind a pair of sunglasses, mixed in with the crowd, a casually dressed Clayton Webb had seen the entire exchange. Intellectually, he knew that Sarah was forever beyond his reach after the incident which had placed her at the mercy of the Abu-Sayyaf agent, Simon Tanveer, but in his heart, he had held a small measure of hope that she and Rabb would fall back into the destructive pattern which had plagued their nine year relationship.

Seeing the look on her face; his own heart began to accept the fact that Sarah's heart, had, and always would belong to the tall aviator turned lawyer. The look of sheer bliss on her face, it was the happiest he had ever seen her, more than when she was with Mic Brumby, much more than when she was with him.

Webb cursed himself a fool, thinking that he ever really had a chance to get between two hearts that were destined to be together, realizing that the only reason he got as far as he did, was because of her empathy for the ordeal he suffered trying to keep Sadik's men away from her, not to mention Rabb's prolonged absence in her life. As soon as they had split up, Sarah had made a beeline for Harm's side, sitting on the beach of his family's ancestral home. While he watched, Rabb had stood up and walked away from his now former girlfriend. For a brief moment, Webb thought he might still have a chance to make things right. He approached her and tried to talk, but when he mentioned Harm, walking away, she turned on him in anger.

_"What the hell did you expect, Clay? I stabbed him in the heart last year after he gave up everything to save my sorry ass, not to mention yours, and now I'm doing it again because I'm too screwed up to tell him how I really feel."_

_"Come on, Sarah, he's just doing it to you again…"_

"_Don't you dare,"_ she replied in an icy cold voice. _"Whatever state our relationship is in, right now, Harm is, and always will be my closest friend. Nothing will ever change that. Don't you dare speak ill of him again."_

With that, Mackenzie had turned and briskly walked back to her car. He soon heard her laying rubber as she peeled out of the driveway. When Rabb returned to pick up his own vehicle, the honorable part inside Webb wanted to tell Harm what she had said. _You already have her heart, Rabb; you just don't know it yet._ But pride and wishful thinking stayed his hand and he remained silent.

Webb forced down his emotions and tried to stay focused on his assignment; keeping Rabb and MacKenzie alive. Despite everything that had happened, A.J. Chegwidden had been right when he said, _"Those two are the closest thing you have to friends."_

...

Somewhere else in the crowd, two young Middle Eastern men watched the scene unfold with amused interest. The pier was crowded for being off season, probably due to the warmer than normal weather and the pair knew their plans would have to wait for a more appropriate time.

"It would appear that Sayyid was correct," said the elder of the two. "These two are as close as he proclaimed, perhaps closer."

"This will be so much the better," added the younger man, "at least for Sayyid. But when do we strike? We still do not know where they are staying."

"Patience, my friend," said Zakir. "We will have several opportunities to complete our task, as they are not leaving until Monday."

...

**23:30 ZULU**

**Pax River NAS:**

"I still don't understand why we couldn't have taken a flight out of Dulles, sir," asked Lt. Vukovic, as he and Commander Turner grabbed their sea bags from the trunk of the Government Issue Crown Vic.

"It's a good thing you aren't working in finance, Lieutenant. Same day bookings on a commercial flight represent a huge burden on the taxpayers, especially when military transport is often readily available."

"We'll probably end up in the back of a C-130, sir"

"For someone who is skating on thin ice, you do an awful lot of complaining, Lieutenant," said Sturgis. His patience with the young upstart was beginning to wear thin.

"My apologies, sir."

"You've been doing that quite a bit since you got here, Gregory. If I were you, I'd stop sweating the small stuff and start thinking about saving my career. What in the world were you thinking, anyway?"

"I wasn't, sir. To be honest, I think I misjudged Commander Roberts."

"That's a mistake which will cost you, Lieutenant, both in and out of the courtroom. As I'm sure you know by now, Commander Roberts holds the Colonel in very high esteem, as do most of the people at JAG."

"I'm finding that out, sir. I expected the General to drop kick my six yesterday."

"Make no mistake, Lieutenant, you're not out of the woods yet," said Sturgis. "You're very lucky Commander Rabb didn't hear what you said to the Colonel."

They made their way into the terminal and checked in. Once they were cleared, they walked out onto the tarmac towards the waiting C37A, a Gulfstream V. Sturgis noticed the look of surprise on the young man's face. "Just because we are on a military hop doesn't mean we can't fly in comfort."

"I expected a Globemaster or some other cargo plane, sir."

They boarded the plane and took their seats. The cabin was crowded, but not overly so and as soon as everyone had boarded, the aircraft began to taxi.

"Commander Rabb made a comment to me, about the incident, sir," Vukovic offered.

"Oh, what did he tell you?"

"He said, if I ever say anything off color or disrespectful to Colonel MacKenzie again, my career will be that last thing I have to worry about, sir."

"Lieutenant, if I were you, I would take that warning to heart."

"So, he gets away with making a threat on a fellow officer, sir?"

"You can file a complaint if you chose to, but if I were you, I would think long and hard before I do. If Colonel MacKenzie changes her mind about proffering charges, your naval career will be over. You go after Rabb, she'll come after you. I guarantee it."

"What is it between those two anyway, sir?"

"To be perfectly honest, Lieutenant, I've been here over three years and I still don't have an answer to that one. But, it's really none of your business."

"That's what Colonel MacKenzie told me, sir."

"You _asked_ her?"

"Yes, sir," he replied. "If you have a question, you might as well go to the source, sir."

"I'll say this for you, Greg, you've got moxie. I'm surprised she didn't have you keelhauled."

"Judging from the look on her face, sir, I think she was considering it."

Sturgis had to chuckle despite himself. He had seen Mac upset, _no, she was downright pissed off._ He was sure that if he had not been the acting JAG, the conversation that day would have much harsher than it was.

As the plane started down the runway, Turner found his thoughts moving towards their assignment. _USS Cheyenne_ was the newest and the last of the 688i submarines to come off the assembly line. Sturgis was very well acquainted with the _Los Angeles_ class, having spent his entire submarine career on one or more of those boats. Like the _Gato_ class fleet boats of World War Two, the 688s formed the backbone of the US submarine fleet now that the last of the _Sturgeon_ class had been retired.

Command of a submarine was akin to being selected as an astronaut. There were only so many commands available and one had to be the best of the best to even be considered as a PCO (prospective commanding officer). It didn't take much for a CO of a sub to be relieved of his command with so many officers vying for so few slots.

At last count, the Iranian navy had four Russian built _Kilo_ class diesel-electric type submarines. While not as versatile as an American sub, the _Kilos_ were very quiet and difficult to detect, even using the most modern American sonar suites. To Commander Turner, it made no sense for either side to have engaged in such a dangerous game of chicken.

Turner knew Commander Taylor only by his reputation in the submarine community. Taylor was a young but no nonsense officer who could almost be considered a throwback to the Rickover era. Scuttlebutt was, he was hard on his men, yet he would go to the wall for any of them if need be. Sturgis personally knew two officers who had served under Taylor, and both of them spoke very highly of their former skipper.

_This is going to be an interesting assignment._

...

**23:30 ZULU**

**Pier 14 Restaurant, Myrtle Beach, SC:**

While looking over the appetizers, Harm glanced up from his menu to see his new fiancé intently studying her own. _God, she's beautiful,_ he thought to himself. Seeming to sense his gaze, she shifted her eyes so they met his. A deep smile graced her features as she spoke, "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, keeping his thoughts to himself, for now. "Do you know what you're having?"

"You know I'm having the filet mignon," she offered, in a matter of fact tone. "I just can't decide on an appetizer. How 'bout you?"

"I'm considering the salmon filet," he said. "Maybe we could share something for an appetizer? Calamari looks good?"

He could tell by her expression that his suggestion wasn't going to fly. "No calamari. What about the oysters on the half shell?"

"I've had them, they are okay, I guess."

"You know, Mac, oysters are supposed to have, shall we say interesting characteristics," firing the first shot in a suggestive war of words.

"Doesn't work for me," she saucily replied. "Besides, tonight would not be a valid test of their effectiveness as an aphrodisiac." She lowered her voice so that only he could hear. "I've got all I can do to keep myself from having my wicked way with you right here and now."

Harm felt the heat rising in his face as an evocative smile played on her lips. "Made you blush," she added, for good measure. She had sunk him with her first salvo.

"You're just full of surprises, MacKenzie. Maybe we should just skip dinner and go straight for dessert."

"Not until you feed me, flyboy," she replied. "Why don't we get a double order of shrimp cocktail. They can bring it on a single plate so we can share."

"I like the way you think, ninja girl."

The rest of the dinner was filled with innuendo and sexually charged banter (spoken just above a whisper, of course) coupled with non verbal expressions of same. Harm had always found her to be alluring when she ate, but tonight; she was turning up the heat for all it was worth. This was a side of her he had never seen before and he was enjoying it.

When it came time for dessert, Mac leaned over to him and said, "I think we had better tone it down a bit. The old couple across the room is blushing."

Harm turned his head to where she was looking. Sure enough, an elderly couple had been watching them intently. Involuntarily, he flashed his megawatt flyboy smile.

"Harm!" she hissed. "Don't draw their attention."

He turned back to see her smiling, but her own cheeks were coloring in embarrassment. "Who's blushing now, ninja girl?"

They were saved from further scrutiny when the waitress came to take their dessert order.

"Tonight's 'Delectable Dessert' is chocolate mousse served with whipped cream and a cherry on top. You can order that for one or two."

When Sarah's eyes lit up, Harm knew what they were going to have. "Chocolate mousse for two sounds fine, miss. And could you bring us some coffee as well?"

When they were alone again, Harm noticed that Sarah's attention had been drawn towards the exit. He turned to see the older couple as they were walking out. "I wonder if that will be us in forty or so years," she said wistfully. "I'll bet they have never been with anyone but each other."

"They grew up in a different world than we did, Mac," he said, just as their coffee and dessert was being served. Once they were alone, Harm continued. "Times change, and with it, so do social norms."

"I know, it's just…well…at least you can remember all the details of your first time. With me, hell Harm, I was drunk off my ass at a field party. The guy, well, he was from the next town over and I never knew his full name…hell of a past I have. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Mac…Sarah…of course I do, more than anything in the world," he replied. "What brought this on?"

"Oh…it's nothing. It was just something that came to mind when I was talking with Mattie," she replied. She must have read the look on his face because she quickly added, "No, Harm, you don't have to worry about her. She's got a good head on her shoulders and if I have anything to do with it, she'll never make to same mistakes I did growing up."

She hadn't answered his question but he could sense something hovering around her so he waited to see if she would open up on her own. They picked at the dessert in front of them in silence for a while before she spoke again.

"One of my dreams as a young teenager was saving myself for the man I was going to marry. That dream was shattered the night of that field party and to be honest, until just recently I hadn't thought about that night, or more to the point, I haven't thought about the loss of that dream in a very long time. Suddenly, it's important, even though I can't change anything about it."

"I don't know what to say, Mac…except that…I wish I could change the way my life unfolded as well, sometimes. But the thought of changing the wrong thing and never meeting you; I don't even want to think about that."

Sarah reached across the table and took his hand in gratitude. "Is the town hall still open?"

"They closed an hour ago; why?"

"It was just a thought," she said wistfully. "You and I have never been…well…even though we've slept together, we've never been intimate and I was thinking it would be nice to give myself to you…I mean…for the first time, as your wife."

"Is that what you want, Sarah, to wait until we are married?"

"Do I want to wait?" she said. Lowering her voice she added, "No. I don't. Harm I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to take you right now. Nine years of foreplay, not to mention our little game over dinner; I can't guarantee we'll make it back to the house before something happens. But giving ourselves to each other as husband and wife; it would make things all that more special."

"A marriage license in South Carolina has a twenty four hour waiting period, Mac," he said. "I checked the laws before we came down."

"You were thinking about eloping with me?"

"Yeah, Sarah, I was," he offered. "But I wanted the proposal to be special. I figured we could talk about our thoughts on our wedding details tonight."

"If we were to run away and get married this weekend, your mother will kill you. Harriet will kill me."

"I know, Sarah, which is why I thought about putting together a small ceremony for the benefit of our friends and family. Nothing too elaborate, although I would like to hold it at the chapel at Annapolis."

"Somehow, I couldn't picture you getting married without you being in your dress whites, but I have one request."

"What's that," he asked.

"I want a row of Marine officers standing on your side of the arch," she stated. "If I'm going to be swatted on the ass with a sword, I want some company."

"I can live with that," he said. "You know, Sarah, there is another option."

When she looked at him questioningly, he leaned over to her and whispered into her ear. A beautiful smile graced her features as she listened.

"Let's hurry up and finish so we can get back to the house," she said before taking a mouthful of mousse and savoring it with a look of elation.


	14. Chapter 14 A Promise Kept:

**Chapter 14; A Promise Kept:**

**10:07 ZULU Saturday:**

**Burnett Beachfront Residence, Myrtle Beach, SC:**

A flash of lightning immediately followed by crack of thunder awoke her with a start. In the predawn darkness, she was unable to find the clock on the nightstand. _The power must be out,_ she thought as she fumbled for her watch. The storm, which had rolled in soon after they made it to the house, had lasted all night and was supposed to continue well into the afternoon. Finally finding the backlight on her watch, she saw that it was a little after five in the morning, and she rested her head back on the shoulder of the man she now considered to be her husband. "Damn you flyboy for frying my clock," she muttered, but she couldn't help but smile when she considered just exactly how that happened.

In the early days of Scotland, many small towns and villages were too small to have their own church or minister. Because of this, it soon came to pass, that when a man and woman wanted to be married, the betrothed couple would, quite literally take matters into their own hands. On the night of their wedding, they would pledge themselves to each other in front of the Almighty Himself, just before consummating the union. The following day, they would present themselves to the town as husband and wife. For Sarah, it was very possible that one of her several generations removed ancestors had married in this very fashion. She had shared this story with Harm while they were defending the SECNAV before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Last night, while still at the restaurant, Harm had whispered into her ear, _"We could have a good old fashioned Scottish Wedding."_ Harm had said it as a joke, but by the time they made it to the house, she was thinking, _why not?_ She knew that the old tradition would not be honored in the modern world of today and in the eyes of the law they would still be single, but in their hearts, their promise to each other would be just as binding as any civil or religious service.

Once they were inside, having secured the house for the night, she guided him into the bedroom where she brought up the subject.

_"Harm, about the Scottish Wedding…"_

_"Mac, I was only joking,"_ he offered. _"You don't really want to do this, do you?"_

_"Yeah, I do,"_ she said. _"Look, Harm, I know this doesn't mean anything outside the two of us but for once in my life, I'd like to do something right. It's important to me, and I need to know that you will take this seriously, because, for me, this is going to be our wedding night."_

He had immediately became all business, as he said, _"I take this very serious, Sarah. If this is important to you, then it's important to me. Tell me what I have to do."_

_"There isn't much to it, really,"_ she said. _"It's a simple exchanging of promises. The old ceremony didn't even use rings."_

_"That doesn't mean we can't,"_ he said. Harm had gone over to his suitcase and dug until he found another small box. When he brought it back and opened it before her, she found a matching wedding set which had been coordinated with her diamond setting.

_"You thought of everything, didn't you,"_ she remarked.

_"I didn't know if we were going to get around to the wedding while we were down here,"_ he said. _"I didn't plan on popping the question until we came back here but today, on the pier, the moment just seemed right…"_

_"It was perfect, Harm, everything I've ever dreamed of," _she replied.

_"So, how do we begin, Sarah?"_

_"First, we join hands and we each say our vows, which can be traditional, custom, or a combination of the two,"_ she said. _"If it's alright with you, I'd like to start. I kinda know what I want to say and I'm afraid if I let you go first, I'll be crying too much to get through it."_

Ever the gentleman, Harm had conceded and she began, _"I, Sarah Catherine MacKenzie take you, Harmon David Rabb, to be my husband. I promise to love you, to honor you, to cherish you, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live. Today I pledge myself to you, now and forever." _She paused a moment before speaking the rest of her vow with words coming from her heart.

_"Harm, when we first met in the rose garden, all those years ago, I had no idea just how close we would become. Seeing the shock in your eyes that day, I had almost written us off, but behind the shock, I could see the goodness in the man I would first know as a good friend, then my closest friend; the man whom I would eventually fall in love with. Harm, you have seen me at my best, and you have seen me at my worst. You believed in me and stood by me when no one else would. You waited for me when no one else would. You came after me, when everyone else had abandoned me, and you were there to pick up the pieces of my life when everything fell apart. I don't deserve to be with you, yet here you are, standing before me as we begin a new life together. I promise to be your friend, your lover, your companion, your confidant, and, if we are blessed with a miracle, the mother of your children. I love you, Harm, always and forever."_

She had barely been able to get through her vow without breaking down, because as she was speaking, Harm had become overcome with emotion. _"I knew I should have gone first,"_ he said.

_"It's okay, Harm," _she said, comforting him. _"This is just between us, and we have all night to get it right."_

A few minutes later, he had composed himself enough to begin._ "I, Harmon David Rabb take you, Sarah Catherine MacKenzie, to be my wife. I promise to love you, to honor you, to cherish you, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live. Today I pledge myself to you, now and forever."_ He too, paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

_"Sarah, on the day we met, I was in shock because of who you reminded me of. But in spite of this, it didn't take long to realize just how special you are. You are, by far, the strongest woman I have ever known, and you have conquered more adversity than anyone should have to face in a lifetime. In a very short span of time, you became my closest and dearest friend and I fell in love with you long before I was willing to admit it. You stood by my side during one of the darkest times of my life and helped me to get past the pain and disappointment I was facing. You supported my career decisions, even when you knew I was making a mistake. You have saved my life more times than I can remember. You put your own reputation on the line by standing by me, even when we were estranged. We've had good times and bad times, yet we have always found our way back to each other. What we do tonight, is something I should have done years ago. I too promise, to be your friend, your lover, your companion, your confidant, and if miracles will allow, the father of your children. I love you too, Sarah, always and forever."_

By then they had both been reduced to tears, she remembered, as another flash of lightning accompanied by a boom of thunder interrupted her thoughts. She looked at her still sleeping husband, noticing that he had shifted only slightly since she awoke. Contented for the moment, she allowed the scenario to continue playing in her mind.

Sarah had reached for the ring to place on his hand reverting to a traditional phrase, _"With this ring, I thee wed, with all that I am, all that I have, and all that I will ever be, I pledge my love, and my life, now and forever."_

Harm took the ring and followed suit repeating the promise she had made, _"With this ring, I thee wed, with all that I am, all that I have, and all that I will ever be, I pledge my love, and my life, now and forever."_

_"All that's left to do now,"_ she said, _"is to kiss the bride. Think you can handle that, flyboy?"_

Harm had responded by taking her into his arms and kissing her senseless and it wasn't long before they had each other undressed and found themselves in the waiting bed. Sarah wanted their first time to be slow and tender as she knew Harm had wanted this as well. But nine years of foreplay and waiting had changed the game. Their lovemaking became extremely intense as their passion and hunger for each other overtook their sense of love and romance.

For Sarah, it had turned into the most intense and satisfying sexual experience she had ever had with a man. Even in the throes of passion, her new husband was giving as much as he took and when she felt the product of his love course through her, it sent her over the edge to join him in oblivion.

They had made love well into the night, while the storm raged outside, their passion for each other playing in almost perfect counterpoint. It was in the wee hours of the morning when they succumbed to sleep, after being sated by the gentle pace their lovemaking had finally taken.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, as the crack of thunder shook the whole house and brought her back to the present. This one had been too close and it caused her to jump. It also roused her sleeping husband from slumber.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, still not quite awake.

"Lightning strike," she offered. "I think that one went over the house."

"Storm is still going on, huh?"

"Yeah, it is. Power is out too," she said, having settled back down in his arms and absently playing with the hair on his chest. "It's almost as strong as the one which hit in here last night."

"Almost?" he quipped, teasing her back.

"Good morning, Mr. Rabb."

"Good morning, Mrs. Rabb," he replied. "Don't we have to present ourselves to the village now?"

"If we were in the fifteenth century Scottish highlands we would," she replied. "Maybe we can present ourselves to the bullpen, but, somehow, I don't think the General will choose to recognize an old Scottish tradition. I'll bet Harriet and Bud will get a hoot out of it, though."

"Some people will think we went off the deep end," he retorted. "Could you imagine how the Admiral would react?"

"You'd be surprised, Harm," she offered. "Admiral Chegwidden is a romantic at heart. I certainly wouldn't mind telling him about this."

"Let me know when you do, Mac. I want to see that."

"Be nice, Harm," she said, swatting at him gently. "Speaking about Harriet and Bud, has he asked you, yet?"

"Asked me what?"

"The two of them are going to a Star Trek convention this summer. Apparently they plan on cosplaying two of the characters from the original series. They want us to go with them…"

"Mac, I am not dressing up as a Klingon and running around some auditorium yelling ka-plah," replied Harm, "even if I do think the batleth is a cool weapon."

"Who said anything about Klingons?" she asked. "Harriet is cosplaying Yeomen Janice Rand from the original series, although I don't know how she is going to deal with that beehive hairdo."

"Who is Bud going as?"

"Do you really need to ask?" she replied.

"I think those commander stripes are going to his head," quipped Harm.

"That's Admiral to you, Commander Riker. Bud and Harriet think you would be perfect to cosplay him."

"Commander who?" he asked, clearly confused by the turn of events.

"Come on Harm, haven't you ever seen Star Trek: The Next Generation before?" asked Mac. "We've babysat for the AJ enough. He watches it all the time."

"Wait a second," he said. "Tall guy with a beard and mustache, the bald headed captain's first officer?"

"That's him, although I think I would prefer the later version, you know the one in the film where he gets promoted and marries Deanna Troi. That's the character I get to cosplay, by the way. Just think, we can go as husband and wife," she said, enjoying every moment of teasing him.

"What film, Mac? I don't remember us watching a Star Trek…"

"Harm, we took AJ to see the movie just before Christmas, right after I finished Lt. Singer's posting on the _Seahawk_. Don't you remember?"

"That's right, I do remember now. That was the year Tom Boone and I almost got stranded on a carrier on Christmas Eve. I had just got back from that murder investigation in Naples and I slept through most of the movie," he said. "I don't know about this, Mac, this isn't really my…"

"Oh come on, Harm. It will be fun. Please…"

She batted her eyes at him using her pouty expression which got him every time.

"Alright, I'll think about it," he relented, looking out the window. The darkness was receding and the first visages of daylight were appearing to the east. "Looks like the weather is going to be miserable today."

"Oh, I don't know about that," she countered. "I think the weather is going to be perfect."

"How so?"

"It's perfect weather for making love," she saucily replied, giving life to a daydream he had once told her about.

"Well, you should know, sweet thing."

The two of them were going to get out of bed disgustingly late that morning.

...

**16:23 ZULU**

**Somewhere over the Arabian Sea:**

The _USS Cheyenne_ was on the surface as the helo from the _Seahawk_ battle group approached from the southeast.

"Have you ever done this before, Lieutenant?" Commander Turner asked his partner.

"Not on a sub, sir."

"It's just like being lowered onto a surface ship," Turner said. "Let the men below do all the work. Don't flail around or you are liable to knock someone off the sail."

"Aye, sir."

Greg Vukovic was not looking forward to this. To him, submarines were targets to be destroyed and he was sure the men below felt the same about surface ships. But the real source of his concern was an extreme dislike of confined spaces. The crew chief hooked him to the winch and prepared to lower him down to the sub. This part did not concern him, as he had been both extracted and lowered by helicopters in the past. Before he knew it, the crew on the sail, had hooked onto his harness and were pulling him aboard.

"Go on down the ladder, Lieutenant," said the skipper, I'll join you shortly. Stay out of the way and don't touch anything."

"Aye aye, sir."

Greg began to climb down the ladder through the narrow access tube which led from the bridge down to the control room, located inside the pressure hull. He began to breathe a little easier once he was back into a relatively open space. More than one of the men below had given him a look as if they were sizing him up.

A few minutes later, he was joined by Commander Tuner and the boat's CO, Commander Kevin Taylor. "Welcome aboard the _Cheyenne_, gentlemen," said Taylor, giving them both a firm handshake. "Petty Officer Donohue will see to your things. In the mean time, Lt. Hayes will show you to your quarters. I'll meet the two of you in the wardroom once we submerge."

"We're not staying on the surface, sir?" Vukovic blurted out.

"I can tell you've never served on a sub before," the Captain remarked, somewhat amused. "Don't worry, Lieutenant. We're only going down to one hundred fifty feet."

"May I ask our destination, skipper," asked Turner.

"Certainly, Commander," replied the sub's commanding officer. "I intend to rendezvous with the sub tender _USS Frank Cable_ for a precautionary hull inspection. Our 'collision' was really not much more than a near miss; the _Kilo_ scrapped our towed array, but the flags at SUBPAC aren't taking any chances."

"It sounds like you got lucky, skipper," Turner offered.

"Someone once told me that if you don't have luck, we can't use you," quipped Taylor. "Hey, Lieutenant, you okay? You don't look so good."

"It's nothing, Commander Taylor."

"I'm sure the Lieutenant will be just fine," interjected Turner. "Won't you, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir" replied Greg, with more confidence than he felt. As he followed the junior lieutenant forward, he could hear the commands and responses echoing in the passageway.

"Hatches secure, sir."

"Very well, take her down. Diving officer, make you depth one-five zero feet. Ten degree down angle on the planes."

As they neared the stateroom, Greg felt the deck below begin to tilt and he grabbed onto the hatchway. He looked around as the hull popping noises caused by the pressure on the hull sang their rat a tat tune.

"You okay, Greg?" asked Sturgis now standing right next to the young officer.

"I've never been on one of these things when it submerged, sir. It's a little unnerving."

"You get used to it, Lieutenant. Come on."

The two men entered the small officer's compartment they would be sharing for the duration of the investigation. A few minutes later, a brown headed First Class Petty Officer appeared at the door.

"Permission to enter, sirs?"

"Granted," said Turner. "You can just leave those next to the bunks, Petty Officer."

The Petty Officer did as he was told. Before he left, he asked a question, "Commander?"

"What is it, Petty Officer?"

"I was curious, sir. Is Lt. Commander Rabb and Major MacKenzie still at JAG?"

"As a matter of fact, they are," replied Turner. "I take it you know them?"

"Yes, sir…well…not personally, the Commander and the Major were investigating a string of accidents aboard the _Watertown_ several years ago."

"I'll give the Commander and the Colonel your regards, Petty Officer…"

"Donohue, sir. Commander Rabb may not remember me, but Colonel MacKenzie certainly will."

"I sense there is a story, here, Petty Officer."

"Well, sir, the _Watertown_ was ordered to transition under the ice right after the Colonel and Commander came aboard. Since two of the officers had the flu, they had to bunk in the enlisted quarters, sir."

"I'll bet Mac loved that," said Sturgis.

"She was pretty cool about it, sir, that is, until we ran the garbage compactor in the middle of her sleep schedule. A few seconds after we started the cycle, she came flying out of her rack. I told her it was just the compactor but I don't think she was convinced, sir. The next thing I know, she ordered us to snap to while she proceeded to chew us a new one and then threatened to haul us out the forward escape trunk and feed our ass to the crabs, sir. We were all having a hard time keeping a straight face; not for disrespect for the Colonel, sir, but Commander Rabb was watching the whole thing from his bunk."

"And he was thoroughly enjoying himself I'll wager," offered Turner.

"That's the way it seemed to us, sir. When I heard that JAG was coming aboard, I was a little concerned that the Colonel might hold a grudge."

"Did you apologize, Petty Officer?"

"Oh, yes sir, the very next time I saw her."

"Then I wouldn't worry about it. If Colonel MacKenzie was really upset with you, there wouldn't be any question about it."

"She's actually a very gracious and forgiving lady," Vukovic added, seeing a chance to score a point or two with the Commander.

"You should know, Lieutenant," Turner commented dryly. He turned back to the enlisted man. "I'll pass you greetings on to Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie. Carry on, Petty Officer."

Donohue snapped to attention and said, "Aye aye, sir. Thank you, sir." He spun on his heel and exited the compartment. Once they were alone, Commander Tuner stood in front of the junior officer.

"It seems as if your opinion of the Colonel has changed, Lieutenant, or is it that you just said what you thought would curry my favor?"

"Of course not, sir," responded Greg, although he could feel the heat rising in his face. "I meant what I said."

"Oh, I believe the gracious and forgiving aspect," Turner said. "What I'm having a problem with, is the fact that you called her a lady. If you truly believed that, you would have never made that comment. So, which is it?"

Greg was beginning to realize that this man had his number and the only way he was going to get through this was to speak the truth.

"Just because I didn't treat her like a lady, doesn't mean she isn't one, sir," he offered. "The truth is Commander, what I said about her, wasn't at all what I meant."

"What exactly did you mean, Lieutenant?" asked Turner as he grabbed a chair.

Greg started pacing the room as her searched for the right words.

"What I said, implied that all I wanted was a one night stand, when, in fact, I want more…"

"Well, you can get that idea right out of your head, Greg," Turner stated flatly. "Not only, is she two grades above you in rank, she also happens to be unavailable."

"Commander Rabb?"

"I'll neither conform, nor deny, Lieutenant. You may infer what you will."

"But sir, assuming the two of them are involved, isn't that a violation of the regulations?"

"Not necessarily," Turner offered. "Assuming the two officers involved, have obtained the approval of their CO and they keep their relationship out of the office, it isn't always a problem. A commanding officer has the authority to handle such requests on a case by case basis, as was the case with Commander Roberts and Lt. Sims. That being said, I would consider Colonel MacKenzie off limits."

"I understand, sir."

"Let's go see the skipper, shall we?"

"Aye, sir."

Vukovic followed the senior officer as he headed for the wardroom. The conversation about Sarah MacKenzie had taken his mind from the confines of the submarine. Now, undistracted, he found himself pondering the narrow passageway he was navigating. _Hold it together, Greg._

...

**16:30 ZULU**

**Badar-e-Bushehr, Iran:**

Sitting in the local airport terminal Commander Mic Brumby, RAN retired (at least on paper) waited for his American contact who had been delivered by submarine sometime in the past twenty four hours. Officially assigned to the Australian Embassy as a diplomatic attaché, Brumby was, in fact, working for the ASIS.

While he had always enjoyed his life as a Royal Navy Attorney, Brumby had found himself at a crossroads in his life soon after he had called off his engagement. After returning to Sydney, then Lt. Commander Brumby had resumed his duties in the RAN. Six months later, Captain Howell called him into his office to inform him of both a promotion and a new opportunity.

Several weeks after receiving his temporary assignment at the US Navy's JAG Corps, Brumby had been tapped to assist Clayton Webb and the CIA in the recovery operation of an experimental aircraft, a naval version of the F-117 stealth fighter. As the US had no embassy in Iran, since the hostage crisis in 1979, the CIA, with Mic's assistance, was able to use the Australian Embassy as an in country base of operations. During the mission, Mic had established relationships with intelligence types both in the CIA and the Australian SIS. His behind the scenes work had caught the attention of the Director General.

_"They want you, Mic," _Captain Howell had said. _"You interested, mate?"_

Had his life gone the way he had hoped, Mic would have turned the offer down. But there was a part of him which had died the night he realized that the love of his life, _his Sarah,_ was in love with another man. _Or was she,_ he thought to himself. Mic had always wondered if he had made the right choice by walking away, even when a very distraught Sarah MacKenzie had chased him to the airport. Right or wrong, he had made his decision and he now had to live with the consequences.

With him out of the picture Mic fully expected Sarah and Rabb to get together and get married. By now, he had expected to hear they had a couple of kids. Mic had moved on with his life as best he could. He dated on occasion and even had a couple of girlfriends, but he had never really gotten over the tall brunette with chocolate brown orbs; a woman whose voice still haunted him in his dreams.

When a visiting CIA agent had told him a few months ago that Sarah was still single and had even been involved with Webb for a time, Mic couldn't believe his ears._ Get a woolly dog up ya stupid bastard,_ he thought._ Rabb, you're enough to give diarrhea the shits!_ He had always blamed the aviator for not playing straight with him when he asked if Sarah was a 'free agent' but learning that worthless bloke still hadn't married her when he had the chance, had only pissed him off more.

His attention was diverted when he saw his contact approaching. The American agent had spent a considerable amount of time down under and spoke just like a native Aussie.

"G'day, mate," the agent said to Mic, as they walked towards the security checkpoint.

"Hey, good to see ya, again, how's life down in Oz?"

"Couldn't be better, sorry I'm late. It's too bloody easy to get lost around here."

"No worries, mate," said Mic.

They continued the gentle banter until they were past the check point. Once out of earshot Mic asked, "Is everything set at home, Ed?" The phrase was innocent enough, but it carried a very specific meaning.

"I'm still waiting for the two kids to show up from their grandfather's house. I don't know if they are going for my brother or sister in-law. We should know soon though. They are due back Monday afternoon."

Though it seemed irrelevant, the brief conversation had told Mic that the two Al-Qaeda agents believed to be in the US had yet to be located, but their intended target was being closely watched.

Mic knew his counterpart in the CIA was carrying the mission briefing for the operation in a small case resembling a cigarette lighter. The package would incinerate the microfilm enclosed, if it was not opened correctly, thus safeguarding the contents. The three agencies involved in the operation, MI6, CIA, and ASIS were not using any electronic communication of any type to deliver the operational details of this plan. The stakes were simply too high to compromise the mission.

What Mic did not know, was 'Ed's' brother and sister in-law were two people that he was very well acquainted with.


End file.
